Predator: Body Thief
by Raptor-Chick
Summary: What happens when a Predator becomes too careless and gains the unwanted attention of another, deadlier hunter? Kemiri will soon discover what the life of an ooman is like. Rated for violence and language.
1. Chapter 1

_So I have decided to post the first chapter of my new Predator story because I want to see how it will do, if I should pursue this idea further. I just got the idea today after looking at some broken glass on the ground and decided that it was really good and had much potential. So, I hope you will all enjoy this muchly. Ooh, what would you all think of a new X-13 story, written sometime after this and Slayer or Savior? It is called X-13: Alternate Life. Basically, it is an alternate life for X-13 if she had been raised differently. I really want your feedback because I'm not sure if I want to write about X-13 like that. It will be MUCH darker than the original. So yeah. Onto the story._

_Disclaimer of spooty-ness: I don't own anything but the personalities of Edan and Kemiri. Everything else belongs to some other people, unless you don't recognize it. Then it's mine and will be guarded jealously._

_Awu'asa: Suit of armor._

Chapter 1

A lone hunter was perched on the spreading branches of a large tree. He was leaning against the trunk, one foot propped up on another branch, the other dangling freely. He was utterly relaxed. It was shortly after sunset, the humid air still pleasantly warm, even to the hunter. It was the tail-end of summer; those long, lazy, boilingly hot days where everything and everyone seemed to move as if they were surrounded by thick caramel. Insects buzzed and whined faintly in the air, cavorting in the wavering curtains of air rising from the heated earth, dancing around the many couples out for their evening walk, who only batted them away half-heartedly. The harsh sounds of traffic even seemed muted, reducing to a faint rushing like the wind, though no wind stirred the evening air. Now other sounds dominated the lush park; the sudden, high laughter of children, their playful shrieks, the low, private chatter of the adults, the loud, rare, staccato barking of dogs; all creating as much presence in the air as the heats and scents. Ah, the scents… Sun baked ground releasing its rich, dusty, earthy smell. Hot rocks and the heavy, lush scent of warm vegetation. The perfumes of the humans, combined with their sweat and sunscreen and lotions into pungent, flowery, tropical, spicy, musky and sour smells. The welcome, stomach rumbling aroma of a barbeque cooking meat, the fat and sauce dripping onto the coals to sizzle and burn, the humans raising their noses to the sky and inhaling deep breaths as if they could eat the very smell. Even the colors seemed different, everything covered with a thin patina of dust that softened all hard edges, dulled the colors pleasantly. The light from the sunset was still strong enough to give the humans a faint burnished gold hue whenever they strayed from the indigo shadows into the open. Not that it mattered to the hunter, for he could not see what the humans saw. He was caught up in the human's last attitude, envying their blissful ignorance to anything stressful or dangerous. His life was not relaxed and easy, but for now, he could enjoy this. He would much rather observe than participate in the noisy, messy business of the hunt at the moment.

Kemiri clicked and purred to himself, relishing the solitude. A few oomans glanced about, but blamed the sounds on the insects. He spent many of his hunts like this; resting and watching. Often he would come back with naught but a single trophy, sometimes hastily collected, sometimes laboriously gathered from a prey item he tracked the entire hunt. Kemiri's trophies were few, his status confused; fellow hunters, older hunters and the Elders themselves did not know if his few kills were the sign of great or little skill. Certainly many of the kills were from those he stalked relentlessly, learning their every habit and pattern and mannerism until they were as close as a friend. But what about the ones he killed quickly and randomly? Certainly that was more like the work of a Newly Blooded warrior, not one with many hunts under his belt. He perplexed them; uncaring about his status, happy with his simple, unadorned weapons and armor. Were they looking at the ultimate hunter, greater even than them, or were they looking at the worst. There were Yautja that agreed with both sides. Kemiri didn't care; he liked seeing them unsure of him and confused. They left him alone that way. Most of his kills were oomans since most of his kills were on Earth, because he liked it, perhaps more than his own Homeworld.

Glancing about, he dropped out of the tree, landing with a crunch on the gravel below. It was getting cooler now and soon the happy, dream-like oomans would leave, to be replaced with hard-edged, jangly ones, ones that would be noisy and full of rage. That kind was only good for killing and he didn't feel like it. Confidant the darkness and his cloaking device would keep him concealed, Kemiri strode off boldly down the path towards his temporary lair.

…..

Edan blinked, scarcely believing what he saw. A man-shaped, impossibly tall, wavering apparition had just dropped out of a tree like an apple! He crept forwards a few steps, parting the leafy branches of a prickly bush to get a better look, ignoring the occasional stab of pain. Yep. There it was, walking away. Any other person never would have seen it in the darkness, but Edan was not an ordinary person. His sensitive ears caught the sound of its gravel grinding footsteps. This was not ghost. Besides, one had never shown itself to him before in his long life, so why should they start now? Whatever could it be? No human should have technology so obviously advanced. No normal human was so tall and muscled. Edan darted through the shadows of the treed area, his dark colored clothing blending well. What was it? he wondered, wanting to scream with curiosity. Was it what he was looking for? Perhaps. He would have to study it further. Ignoring his hunger, the tall young man pursued this elusive form into the city. Once out of the park, it rapidly scaled a building, disregarding the nearby fire escape, which any intelligent human would use, and leaped across the gap that was an alley. Edan stared for a moment before continuing to follow. While it would be easier for him to follow in the same manner, his presence would surely be noticed. A half dozen times or more, he lost sight of the entity, only to again spy it at the last second. His swift, erratic path drew the attention of many people, but they did not matter. His concentration was focused with laser intensity on the apparition leaping the roofs.

…..

Kemiri landed with a thud on the flat, ornately statued roof of an ooman place of worship. He switched off his cloaking device, feeling safe amongst the sculptures. He dropped most of his armor between the feet of a particular grotesque beast, leaving only the bare minimum on. The oomans never had to worry about complicated awu'asas; their clothing seemed very light and comfortable and practical. He sat down by a vent that exhaled warm air, blooming brightly in his vision. That would keep him warm another couple of hours before he would have to switch on his thermal netting. Kemiri mused over a daydream that he had been cultivating for sometime. Maybe he would not get back on the ship when it came. Maybe he would stay here, learning and relaxing, then returning with great knowledge when he was much older; to give it to the Youngbloods and whoever else needed his wisdom. The only thing that kept him from his dream was his lack of equipment; his own netting suit and awu'asa was entirely unsuited to the frigid weather that this place experienced. If he hunted more, he could get a batter awu'asa. Then Kemiri could set up a much more permanent camp. Maybe… But he didn't want to hunt this trip. Next one…

…..

Edan clenched his fists until the knuckles stood out white and strained, lips contorting into an ugly grimace as he fought back a venomous curse. He had lost the trail! HIM! How could he? He was a great hunter! A killer! He would just have to watch this area closely, spend all his night here, and in the park. The apparition had shown a liking for it and would most certainly return. Unable to ignore his painful hunger any longer, Edan left in search of a meal.


	2. Chapter 2

_I'm so sorry this is so short! I couldn't make it any longer without taking away from the story! I promise the next chapter will be longer! OK, I bet you that you won't be able to guess what city this. I actually based this on a real city for once. If you do figure it out, don't get mad with any inconsistencies or mistakes because I have only been there once, last summer, for 3 days. But I loved every minute of it! So, I dearly hope you will enjoy this and give me reviews. Or your soul. My Human Soul Containment Unit is a trifle empty these days. I really appreciate those that took the time to review the last chapter. Ack. I sound so funny! Not my usual criminally insane self! Ah well, next time…_

Chapter two

Kemiri was roused from his sound sleep by a droning, thrumming sound coming from the building he was camped out on. His interests immediately piqued, he pried open an access door on the roof and silently entered the cool building. Luckily, the stairs were also connected to a cat walk that ran the length of the building. The Yautja padded out into the middle of one, taking care with his steps so that he would not set the rickety metal frame to shaking with his weight. Below him, several dozen oomans were sitting on hard wooden benches, all watching one man standing in front of them behind an altar. The lone ooman, a leader of some sort, was talking at the sitting oomans. The noise he had heard before had halted, so he really didn't know what this was about. Kemiri settled down, sitting cross legged, resting his elbows on his knees and his chin on his hands. The building was cool and smelled like strange incense, wax and dust, similar to the temples in his clan ship and on the Homeworld. It lay thickly over the tops of the rafters, on window ledges, basically anywhere it could settle. It was peaceful here. A sudden rustling caught his attention. The oomans stood and began singing/chanting something. He could not tell what they were saying because of the sheer number of voices. One thing he did know was that contrary to popular belief, not all oomans were blessed with beautiful voices. Deciding the oomans sounded better from afar, the observing Yautja silently left.

….

After negotiating the narrow, often twisting alleyways and ascending a large, very steep hill, he found himself in a very busy area of the city. It was right at the very top of the hill, which in some places could better be called a cliff. It overlooked a wide river where many boats were floating or speeding madly about. Many of the buildings were made of stone, great grand buildings, like the one he was currently living on. They were still cool, not yet heated by the sun, though the day promised to be searing. The buildings were great fun to traverse and explore. Surely they had not been meant to be seen from the ground! They were far too interesting, and had such detailed carvings on them. It was work that rivaled that of the finest Yautja artisans.

…..

Edan woke suddenly, blinking out into darkness. Rising slowly and gracefully, he easily navigated the basement, ascending the stairs. Going to the upstairs room where he kept his clothing, he removed the ones he currently wore. They were rumpled from sleep and looked sloppy. He opened a wardrobe, antique like most of his other furniture, and selected a charcoal gray turtleneck, and a pair of black pants. Coupled with his black hair and eyes and pale skin, he looked like some sort of semi-Goth poetry fiend. The sort of person who frequented small, dark clubs where everyone knew each other, where the air was blue with clove cigarette smoke, where young men and women recited angsty, dark poetry for each other, accompanied by a cello, or bongos or perhaps a trumpet, played softly, where you drank small cups of coffee with long, complex, unpronounceable names. But the look suited him. He had even gone to such clubs before, out of curiosity, but he didn't find them anything special. Snatching his trench-coat off the coat-rack near the door, he stepped out into the fragrant evening.

…..

Walking through one of the huge stone gates to the Old Town, Edan kept a wary eye out for his elusive friend. This was near the Plains, the park where he had first seen the creature, so perhaps this was another likely location. The young man was seldom wrong about the appearances of those he stalked. He had already fed that night, so he would not be distracted by the nagging pain of hunger. He walked the length of the Upper Town, and then descended some worn stone stairs near a gaudy Catholic church. He made his way to a lower sidewalk that ran through a garden. If he continued, he'd get to the Lower Town, but he didn't want to do that just yet. There were few tourists here because it was so dark. Just some stunting kid skateboarders. Ignoring them and their stares, he sat down on a bench, relaxing. Slowly, he became aware of a strange smell. It was musky and sharp, with an undertone of sweat. It made the hackles on his neck want to rise. It wasn't strong yet, but was getting there. Edan wrinkled his nose. He didn't like it at all. Could it be some garbage, or possibly an animal? It certainly smelled like that to someone with such a sensitive nose. Glancing around and sneering slightly, he prepared to leave. From the corner of his eye, he saw the wavering air of rising heat. Weird. It was cool enough out now that that shouldn't happen. Then, it registered. The entity! It jumped off the roof into a tree, then from the tree to another roof. Edan stared in shock for a moment, before giving a little chuckle of excitement and taking off in pursuit. He knew he wasn't wrong! This just had to be what he was looking for! It was fast, agile and sure of itself. That was what he wanted. He had to learn more!

As Edan followed the creature, it became apparent that this was much more than he could have hoped for. It was amazingly fast and moved with an ease that constantly surprised him. The young man had to keep reminding himself that this creature was mortal, because eh hadn't seen a mortal creature like it before. Over thirty years of searching had finally come to fruition! But his current preparations were far from adequate. He had to make them much stronger; he had to prepare his house.


	3. Chapter 3

_I update fast for you, no? I hope I get more reviews from this. (glares sternly) I know some of you already know what Edan is and where this is set, but those that have not guessed get one more chance. I shall reveal all next chapter. Some really creepy people come to the mall sometimes. I realized this last week when a guy that was at least 35 asked for my phone number. YUCK! All I did was serve him his stupid food! I wasn't flirting! Why would anyone do that? Besides that, not much is new. Except for the fact that there might be a ghost in my house. Mmmyep. Please read and review!_

_Kainde Amedha: Hard Meat, Xenomorph._

Chapter three

Kemiri clicked to himself as he slowly walked along the crushed gravel path, hands clasped behind his back. It was another lovely night and he couldn't resist going out for a walk. It was a couple of hours after sunset, with only the barest hints of a breeze coming off the river. As a result, many young oomans were also out, strolling along just as he was, or playing various games with each other. Their active bodies left little comet tails of heat behind them, contrasting sharply with the cooler air. A few structures in the park still held heat. Unsurprisingly, they were stone. The largest were three enormous, round stone towers, spaced far apart across the huge park, mostly situated near the river. If the had been constructed for defensive purposes, they wouldn't do much good now because of the thick band of forest along the river. But, then again, these oomans did not have to worry about attacks, so perhaps they were relics from an older, more conflicted era. The towers did not look very old and there were still marks on the land from industrious war-time structures, so it couldn't have been too long ago. Kemiri knew oomans usually lived less than a third as long as the Yautja did, so maybe he would ask an Elder if they remembered this great battle. It irritated him when he noticed or discovered something about the oomans that he did not know or understand. He stopped with a sigh, and then crouched down on the lip of a steep hill that slanted down into the forest, then to the water beyond that. In the trees he could see small animals scampering about. Normally, he would have hunted them for food, perhaps small decorative trophies, but not now. His hunger was satiated earlier that evening in a great meat warehouse.

…..

A dark figure was sitting on the rump of a horse. The horse was part of a mounted statue of Joan of Arc. It was pressed up against her in such a way that it was not immediately noticeable. Joan probably would not have appreciated the way she was being touched if she were alive. Edan inhaled a deep breath, scenting the wind, and then narrowed his eyes. He could clearly smell that beast's foul musk, coming up from near the St. Lawrence and slightly to his left. The stupid creature was right out in the open, far from any buildings and on the edge of a steep hill slippery with dew. He hopped off the copper statue and padded through the surrounding flower bed and through a single file line of neatly pruned trees that ran all the way around the garden and monument. He was dressed sensibly in high-top sneakers, black jeans and a long-sleeved black tee. He had foregone his usual black trench-coat because he didn't want any loose fabric to cause him to stumble or get snagged. Ignoring a group of boozing teenagers sprawled out on blankets; he cut right through their temporary encampment. This was so bold a move, they didn't know what to do. Edan gave a little smirk despite himself. They smelled delicious, for he had refused to feed that night. Normally, hunger was distracting when he tried to do anything but hunt, but he wanted that slight desperation it gave him. When moving in for the kill, so to speak, he wouldn't let a simple thing like being injured stop him. Now he could see the creatures wavering form, shifting the slightest amount as it rocked back and forth to keep its balance as it crouched there. So close! He walked slower, quieter, trying not to make a single sound since this was the only opportunity he'd get.

…..

Kemiri stopped his idle clicking and chirping, freezing as something disturbed him. There was something muffling the sounds of the oomans behind him, blocking the sound. What could it- Then, a slender and ridiculously powerful armed snaked around his neck! The other arm grabbed the first's wrist, effectively collaring him and cutting off all air! The Yautja warrior gave a strangled gasp and stood up, leaning forwards to keep from falling. He staggered away from the edge of the hill as his attacker wrapped its legs around his waist. He clawed frantically at the forearm, the rivulets of blood running over his hands in hot, sticky paths. He gasped and wheezed, stumbling around awkwardly. He started to sink to his knees involuntarily, blackness clouding his vision while bright spots obliterated everything else. The right arm came free and began pawing at the edges of his mask, though the awful pressure around his neck did not yield. Just as the hoses ripped free, Kemiri threw himself down the hill.

…..

Edan's teeth were bared in a savage snarl as he fought to keep his arms around the creature. It was not as easy as he thought since he couldn't see the creature clearly. He fought back a roar of pain as the claws cut deeply into his skin and muscle like a hot knife through butter. It fucking hurt! But soon the fight began going out of the creature, allowing him to feel for the way to remove its face mask. He had only glimpsed the mask briefly and it filled him with a powerful curiosity. He found the fasteners and suddenly found himself tumbling down the hill. The beast must have a death wish! Was his last coherent thought before they began crashing down. His own breath was crushed out of him as he crashed into the ground, still hanging on doggedly. He experienced the unsettling feeling of several ribs snapping and many more cracking as the beast's heavy body flattened him. Then, a moment later he was free again, then down just as fast. Something hit him hard above the eyes, cutting him deeply and stunning him. The young man lost his grip and they continued rolling in what seemed like an eternity. Rocks and armor bruised and cut him mercilessly. Just as suddenly as they started, they stopped, coming to rest just inside the forest, having miraculously avoided the trees. He lay stunned for a moment, getting his bearings back. That was _not_ something he ever wanted to do again! To think that some humans willingly climbed inside barrels and let themselves get shoved down! Edan got up slowly, searching for the creature. Suddenly, something started sparking violently a few feet away! The creature's cloaking device must have shorted out, hopefully not permanently. It was lying on its back; mask gone, chest heaving raspily as it fought to get its breath back. He was not going to allow that to happen! He dove on top of it, wrapping his fingers around its throat, again strangling it. First, he noticed an eerie green glow spattered about on some of the plants and on the creature itself. With a shock, he realized that it was its blood. How peculiar. Then he noticed it face. Beady eyes bulged out from underneath heavy brows and the mouth, oh, the mouth! There were four tusked mandibles, currently waving and straining desperately. Inside, the mouth was small, with many sharp teeth. He could see down into its throat, which looked obscene. It worked and rippled madly, trying to draw air in. It was so ugly! Edan almost let it go, but he had gone too far and he wanted this so badly!

…..

Kemiri lay for a few wonderful moments, aching all over from falling, but he didn't think he suffered anything worse than cuts and bruises. He coughed and gasped for air, struggling to bring enough into his body to ease the burning in his chest and tingling in the tips of his fingers and toes and the horrible spinning. Then, his attacker jumped on his chest again, choking him! With a sudden, jolting shock, he realized it was an ooman! Adrenaline rushed through him, momentarily giving him the strength to fight again, clawing the oomans arms from shoulder to wrist, throwing himself from side to side, punching it in the head, but it was no use. The ooman was more persistent than a Kainde Amedha. The frantic struggle had only deprived him of more air and he collapsed, eyes rolling up into his skull.

…..

The beast lost consciousness, but Edan held on a few seconds longer. He wanted it to be truly out of it. Then he fumbled to find a pulse. It was no good to him dead. Good. He stood up and began dragging the heavy creature out of the underbrush and up the hill. Leaving it at the top, he went back down to find the mask. It was midway down the hill and, as he picked it up, Edan saw it had his blood on it. So that was what cut him… Muttering darkly to himself, the young man stumped up the hill, hanging the mask off his belt. Reaching the creature, he crouched and began lifting it on his shoulders like you might carry a large dog or a dead deer. While he had lifted things just as heavy, they weren't as awkward as this was and the armor hurt! Once it was settled, he started running back to his home, moving so fast that all the oomans saw was a blurred black shadow and felt only a rush of wind.


	4. Chapter 4

_Yay! The update-yness! I went camping on May Long and it was fantastic. The drive back was fun because me and my best friend sang along to our CD's the entire 2 hour drive back. Memorable examples of the songs we sang to are: Barbie Girl by Aqua. We started out singing nicely, but it soon degenerated into us trying to sound as much like a squawk as possible without losing volume or coherency. And then there was Big Balls by ACDC. We screamed "And we've got the biggest balls of them all!" as loudly as possible, drawing many the odd look from other drivers. Good times. Heh. Does this chappie answer your questions? Now we all know why Edan was able to run around carrying Kemiri. Don't worry; I wouldn't make such an awful mistake like someone being able to function normally with horrid injuries. Yay-ness for Prairiefire guessing where this is set! I love Quebec City. But anyways, please enjoy and review! I do like them!_

_Pyode Amedha: Soft meat; human._

_Awu'asa: Suit of armor._

_Pauk: Fuck._

_Thwei-Ki'its-pa: Blood Spear; Kemiri's Yautja clan._

Chapter 4

Kemiri hissed slightly as he drew in a deep breath, trying to suck in as much air as possible into his lungs to further fend off the mists of unconsciousness that threatened to consume him again. He swallowed and winced from the deep bruises in his throat. He felt slightly out of breath and dehydrated. He wished for water and his mask. The Yautja realized he was uncomfortable and tried to roll over. Something held his arm in place. Kemiri's eyes popped open and he saw the sturdy wooden beams of an ooman house. Looking around, he saw stone walls and the reason he could not move. Thick leather straps encircled his arms in several places and held them out to the sides. His legs were bound tightly together. He was trapped, lying on some slanting table or chair-like device. Kemiri growled and struggled to free his arms. His clawed fingers curled as he strained, muscles bulging and tendons standing out like thick wires. He pulled until he was bruised and was left struggling for air. The Yautja let out a loud, frustrated roar.

"Hush!" an ooman voice scolded. "The neighbors might hear you!"

…..

Coming down the stairs, Kemiri saw the ooman who had attacked him. He had a smug little grin on his face. The ooman did not look the least bit powerful; in fact, the ooman barely looked old enough to be hunted! The ooman male pulled a wooden chair over and gracefully sat down upon it.

"I suppose you are wondering why I have invited you here?" Invited? He called this invited? The ooman frowned as Kemiri's mandibles worked frantically in silent rage. "Do you even understand me?"

"Yes, ooman!" he snapped.

"Good."

"Pauk! Why I here?"

"I'll get to that in a moment." Suddenly, Kemiri realized something. He had clawed that ooman from shoulder to wrist many times and rolled over him more than once. He knew ooman bones were not as resilient as Yautja bones… So why was this ooman unharmed? He didn't even move his arms slightly stiffly like he had bandages on.

"Why you not hurt?" he demanded.

"I healed."

"Prove." The ooman smirked and unbuttoned the cuffs on his white shirt, rolling up the sleeves. His flesh was smooth and totally unharmed. The warrior was flabbergasted. He had never heard of such a creature! Kemiri also noticed that the ooman's body temperature far too low; in fact, he was scarcely warmer than his surroundings! He gave an involuntary shudder, knowing he was in the presence of something supernatural. He directed a silent prayer to any god that happened to be listening. _Please… Please get me through this… I'll never be so careless again…_ "What you?" he asked nervously.

"Me?" the ooman said, tilting his head to the side. "I'm complicated. But, let's make a deal. Obviously I want to know about you and you want to know about me. We will not be very willing to answer questions for nothing in return, so I shall ask you a question and then shall answer if you wish to receive an answer for your question. Deal?" Kemiri hesitated. It was a serious no-no to allow oomans to learn of their kind, but this creature was so strange! Was letting some information about the Yautja out so bad if he gained knowledge of a new type of prey? He wrestled with himself for a few minutes before slowly nodding. "Excellent. Now, introductions. We cannot possibly have a civilized conversation if do not know each others names." He gave a sweeping bow. "I am Edan Keigwin."

Kemiri rumbled, "I Kemiri, from clan Thwei-Ki'its-pa."

"First question is mine. What are you?"

"Yautja. Why you do this?"

Edan laughed. "I have grown weary of my current existence. You obviously aren't from here, so what are you doing on Earth?"

"Rest. Learn. Hunt. Why need me?"

"Well, I don't need you specifically; any member of your species would do. But you are the only creature I have found that suits my needs. Are you alone?"

"No. Need me for what?"

"To change my long and boring life." Kemiri growled. He was getting no where in his questioning! "Where are the others?"

"Not really know. Far, scattered. Why not use other?"

"Your kind is quite unique. You are far stronger and faster than any human, but you seem to be able to enjoy many of the same things. Now, what are all these things?" He picked up Kemiri's mask and pointed at the numerous small buttons inside the front.

"Controls for seeing, weapons, sounds, more…" Stupid ooman! Did he think he could use his mask and awu'asa? "Why you look like ooman, but cold?"

"I was once human, many, many decades ago, but I was changed. What does this one do?" He pointed at a hook-like lever in the upper left corner of the control panel inside the mask.

"That for big gun, burner." Kemiri gestured with a mandible at the table where most of his weapons lay.

"This one?" asked Edan, lifting his small plasma caster.

"Yes. Shoot ball of heat and light. It kill if it hits body or head. No bleed. How old are you?"

"Hmm…" the ooman said thoughtfully, tapping his lower lip. "I am one hundred and seventy-seven years old." The Yautja's jaw dropped open. No Pyode Amedha lived that long! That was easily twice the age of oomans that were considered very old! The ooman-creature was even older than Kemiri himself! "What do you eat?"

"Meat and fruit mostly. Other food hurt belly. How you changed?"

Edan replied, "My Master chose me because I was unusual for a mortal. I was strongly gifted psychically and I traveled around with a troupe of players demonstrating my abilities. I did simple mind-reading, though I was never too good at that, séances, fortune telling, and the like… And he witnessed my show and chose me one night. After that evening I was human no more."

"What happened?" Kemiri hissed, forgetting the deal they made, cold fingers of fear tickling up his spine, feeling a nervous curiosity and anticipation for the next few words. Edan didn't seem to mind, enjoying his story-telling.

"I died."

Died? He was in the presence of some abomination, someone who had not been claimed by the God of Death, the likes he had never heard of before. Kemiri began to feel afraid. The dead should never be able to walk. He began testing his bonds, trying to do so surreptitiously. Edan was silent, waiting, a hungry, predatory smile on his face. No. It was more like a baring of teeth.

"Why you here?" Kemiri whispered raspily.

"My Master infused me with his own powerful blood, made me what I am." He leaned closer, relishing the fear he invoked in such a powerful creature. "And we are not alone either. Normally, as I later learned, any special gifts a human has before they are changed are lost once they die, but with me, they were enhanced and have been slowly growing as I have aged. I have also gained new ones. I can leave my body now; float above everything as nothing more than a mere spirit. About fifty years ago, I learned I could merge with another body and see as they do, inhabit their body, though I could not dislodge their soul. I would be quickly evicted. But this, this was something important. I spent the next thirty years honing my skills. Eventually I could shock a soul out of a body and take it over. These borrowings never lasted long; I could not settle myself in quickly enough to avoid being jolted out again as the spirit returned. Later, I had no wish to remain any longer than possible in these fragile mortal bodies. Once I felt I was good enough at my borrowing I began a hunt that has lasted twenty years, ending with my capture of you, Kemiri. My reasons for this? Centuries in a single, virtually unchanging body pass slowly. I want to see the sun again, to let it warm my flesh. I want to eat and drink all the new things that I could not have dreamed existed back when I was mortal. I am tired of subsisting on nothing but blood. Which reminds me…" Edan added, striding out of the room. Kemiri noted that he walked swiftly, silently and confidently; the walk of a hunter. He spent a few tense moments alone before Edan returned… Clutching a young ooman female, hardly physically old enough to bear young and certainly too young to hunt! He watched in horror as the ooman-creature slowly bent her head to the back and side, baring her long, slender neck. Edan was holding her gently, lovingly, but she did not struggle. Why? Kemiri knew that most oomans ran in terror at the sight of an un-masked Yautja face. Her expression was dull and empty, even as Edan lowered his mouth to her neck, breathing in her scent. He opened his mouth, baring a pair of long, sharp fangs. Seconds before it happened, the warrior knew what was going to happen. He roared angrily, struggling again as Edan sucked greedily at her neck, making little moaning and grunting noises. He ignored the Yautja's furious curses and snarls, slowly growing warmer in his vision. Finally, he yanked himself from her throat, panting and showing bloodied teeth. He let the girl slump limply, obviously dead, to the floor. "Much better." The ooman-creature said, his voice sounding lower and throatier than before. He drew a crisp white handkerchief from his pocket and dabbed daintily at his mouth, then folded the soiled side in and tucked in back in the pocket. "I deprived myself tonight for the hunt. Your little antics back on the Plains of Abraham cost me dearly to heal all those wounds. I'm surprised I maintained control for so long." Kemiri growled, low and rippling as Edan, that filthy Blood-Drinker, carried the girl out of the dungeon-like room to dispose of her.

…..

"What you want with me?" the Yautja demanded once he returned.

Edan simply smiled and said, "I want to trade bodies with you."


	5. Chapter 5

_Sorry about the long wait, but this chapter took a while to get right. I'm quite proud of it now. I saw Pirates of the Carribean: Dead Man's Chest yesterday. The beginning was kind of slow and not so enjoyable and it was annoying when Ragetti and Pintel kept explaining what happened in the last movie. The second half was quite fantastic and made up for the iffy first half. I heart Jack. The cliffhanger made me want to scream, so I did. Yep. Expect to see a rather familiar character pop up at the end. Want to know what happens? Will is revealed to actually be a enuch and Elizabeth is engaged to Norrington again. The Dead Man's Chest is where Jack ends up as punishment from Davy Jones. Yep. I tell horrible lies, don't I? Oh well, please read and enjoy. And gimme lots of REVIEWS!_

Chapter Five

Kemiri's eyes narrowed. This honorless creature was clearly mad as well! Switching bodies… It seemed impossible, but so was healing from terrible injuries in only a few hours. Idiotic Blood-drinker, daring to capture him. He was lucky he had not tried to attack one of the other Yautja. Then, a treacherous thought twined its sinuous way into his mind, as smoothly and boldly as a Kainde Amedha. What if he took up Edan's offer, for an offer it did seem to be. No! That would be wrong! Surely something like that was against the warrior's code! But maybe… Maybe it would be interesting to be able to walk unafraid among oomans. The Blood-drinker's body was sullied by his dishonorable ways! He killed youngsters, Kemiri couldn't associate himself with something like that. But, then again, it would only be his mind. It didn't mean he would carry the taint back to his own body afterwards. Suddenly, the warrior noticed Edan watching him, looking very smug, as if he knew what was happening in the internal battle. It infuriated Kemiri.

"I would rather have your permission for this. I will want to return to my own body later and I can't if it dies without me. I want it in good condition. I could simply shock you out and settle myself, but how would I know if you were able to settle in my body? You would die, along with my body. I don't want that."

"I do not know how to change." The Yautja stated stubbornly, thrusting his chin out and flaring his lower mandibles. That would crush all his rebellious thoughts and put a damper on Edan's plans.

"I can teach you…" wheedled the vampire, "It would only be for a short period, a few days at most. Just think, you can do things the humans do. Talk with them, laugh with them. They will treat you like one of their own. Surely you would not let this opportunity pass?"

Kemiri shook his head, dreadlocks whipping across his face. "No. Is wrong…"

"The others will never know."

Kemiri stared at Edan, who's expression became smugger than ever. He felt his resolve crumble. "Yes… I do…" he whispered softly.

…..

An hour, one oath to do no harm and one very odd lesson later, Kemiri was sitting unbound on a chair in front of Edan.

"Now, I just want to give some instructions for this body. Do not go out in sunlight, go to the deepest, darkest place you can before sunrise. Stay away from large fires and torch-wielding mobs, though I hope you will not start one of those. I must confess that we vampires are rather flammable. You cannot eat normal food and should not drink either. Any attempt will make you sick, especially if you have not fed before hand. Avoid dangerous situations; you will not die, but explaining to the mortals is tedious. Other than that, there is nothing else. You?"

"Many ooman foods make sick. Eat only meat and fruit. Need mask to live, to breathe. Is hard without. Do not show self to oomans." As an afterthought, he added, "Stay away from other Yautja."

"Good. That should be everything. Now, if we may begin?"

…..

Edan closed his eyes, a peaceful expression settling itself on his face. He breathed deeply, relaxing totally, letting every muscle ease. In front of him, Kemiri was doing the same. Of course, the alien couldn't leave his body, but his exercise would make it easier. Edan drew in a sudden breath, shoulders lifting, chest expanding… then as he exhaled, he left with the air. The vampire suddenly found himself looking at the top of his own head, his body slumped slightly, like he had fallen asleep. It was slightly disconcerting, especially before he gathered himself; Edan felt like he could dissolve into nothingness, cease to be. Of all the hundreds of times he had done this, he was still nervous that this would be the final time. Below, he saw the alien hunter, still sitting utterly still in meditation. He was mildly surprised, though no emotions were strong in this state, that such a barbaric culture practiced something as peaceful and civilized as meditation. Edan collected himself further, though it was like trying to grab a fistful of smoke. Once he was fairly sure of himself, he plunged downwards into the creature's body and _pushed_! Expanding through every vein and muscle fiber, he banished Kemiri's soul from its home. It fought back, once nearly succeeding in knocking Edan out again. Every time their edges meshed, it felt like a limb that had been asleep for a very long time was awakening and painfully reminding you it existed. Soon, he was alone in this body and set about getting the internal organs working again.

…..

Kemiri quickly reached a meditative state as easily as breathing. He had been doing this for decades. As several minutes passed, he started to wonder when this would happen, this body-swapping. Suddenly, something jolted him powerfully! His vision blurred and his heart felt like someone had punched it or run a powerful electric current through it. He gasped and coughed, clutching his chest and then was rammed again! With a great loud, soundless, numbing, agonizing rip, he tore loose of his body. The Yautja panicked, feeling what made him _him_ spreading out and diffusing; Edan had never mentioned anything like this! He said mild discomfort and some confusion! He began to drift upwards, his fear dissapating. It would be so easy… He was feeling very sleepy now, and wanted to rest. As the room and his body began to fuzz out and darken, a great wall of black detached itself from the background. It was huge, bigger than any warrior he had ever seen and pitch black. Black armor, black weapons and black skin. Except for the eyes; they glowed a hot gold in the dark. Kemiri noticed with faint interest that the Elders were wrong. He was not red and black, but gold and black… The being was enfolded in a vast black cloak that seemed to move and flow by itself. It drew a great dark sword, gold glyphs etched on the blade. It barred the way, gesturing sharply, pointing Kemiri away. He suddenly recognized the warrior, something most Yautja never saw more than once. He gasped and the world fell into sharp focus again. He plummeted down into Edan's body, deeply shaken.

For a brief moment, he felt everything in the body; the beating heart, the feel of the clothing, each blood cell moving through the veins, the temperature and pressure… Then it eased, so he didn't want to scream anymore. He felt so strong! So light! So strange! He could hear the thudding of this body's heart, strong and slow. He could also hear the scritch and scuttle of insects and mice deep within the house and the faint creaks and groans of the house settling itself more deeply into its centuries old foundations, like an old man in a favourite chair. Outside, he could even hear traffic passing by. Smells were vastly different. He thought this sense was just as strong as his body's had been, but different. The most prominent smell was Yautja musk. The hunter realized he no longer found the smell interesting or informative. It was just rank and powerful. Besides that, he could smell the blood of the girl Edan had killed. It also didn't tell him anything about the girl like it did before. Then there was the earthy-damp scent of the stone and the sharp but dusty smell of the wooden beams. It was all very odd. Then, he opened his eyes.

He was dumbstruck. Everything was so strange! He looked at his body sitting before himself, studying himself as never before. His skin was a dusty green, speckled with black. His eyes, staring blankly up, were also pale green. His body's chest heaved and made raspy noises. His mandibles gaped open, waving feebly and awkwardly like a newborn that did not know what to do with them. Kemiri found himself entranced by the simplest things. The beams. The grain of the wood was so fascinating, even though the wood was dull with age. The stone was the same. It glittered faintly in the light. He stared around the room, open-mouthed. The armor on his body was a very interesting gray. He didn't even pay much attention when his body got up, coughing and unsteady, and tottered closer. He flinched as an inarticulate, loud moan issued from his body's pink mouth. Then the ki'cti-pa shot out as his body flexed its hands. An expression of surprise flitted over his body's face as it stared at the blades. Kemiri continued watching passively, admiring the play of light, as his body drew its right arm back and then, then there was only pain as the blades were slammed into his chest, slicing through meat and bone, cleaving internal organs. He gasped and choked on salty blood as he tumbled sideways off the chair, clutching at the gaping wound as the ki'cti-pa were yanked back out. He watched through a haze of pain as his body ran up the stairs and out of sight.


	6. Chapter 6

_Hee. Kemiri is Emo. Does Emo grass cut itself? Wow. This was ten written pages. It took me sooo long to write. I was going to break it up into two chapters, but I decided it would work better like this. I want more reviews than the last chapter. Damned depressing. _

_Ch'htk-a: Nervous energy, hyperactive._

_Pauk: Fuck._

_C'jit: Damn._

Chapter Six

Kemiri coughed and wheezed, struggling for air as his lungs filled with blood. He was terrified of drowning in his own blood. But, his wonderful vision did not cloud over. In fact, the pain actually diminished! _Of course… _he thought, _Quick healing…_ Slowly, he pushed himself to a sitting position, using the toppled chair to help himself. He gently felt his chest. There was a great deal of blood, making it slick and slippery, but underneath that, the flesh seemed smooth and whole. There was still some pain, so everything inside was not quite healed yet.

Soon, he felt better. Amazing, actually. He felt very light, like he could leap over a house. He made his way gingerly up the stairs, since the strength in this new body was so great that if he was not careful, he tended to fall over from an overenthusiastic step. This body was as light and strong as Kainde Amedha carapace. Moving through the main hall, he caught sight of himself in a mirror. _Fascinating…_ Kemiri thought, running his sensitive hands over the contours of the pale ooman face staring back at him. He tried uttering a simple Yautian phrase, but it came out as a garbled growl. He frowned. This stupid lump of flesh that sat in the middle of the mouth got in the way. The ooman mouth seemed poorly adapted to speak. There was so little movement in the throat and palate! Kemiri stuck out his tongue, the opened his mouth and retracted the offending piece of flesh. He prodded it with a finger and experimented with moving it. Then he noticed the sharp little fangs. The hunter cautiously felt them; they were as sharp and pointed as the teeth back in his proper body. Drawing in a deep breath, Kemiri wondered how badly he had messed up. Well, he would not get anywhere if he could not speak, so he set about trying to make his new and odd mouth work.

…..

After quite a while, he managed to speak somewhat passably, although without the normal punctuating clicks. He also could not quite reach the proper tone. He could find no way to make the clicks while he was speaking. Kemiri missed his mandibles. Talking in ooman was no easier, but at least there were no sounds he could not make. He began exploring the house, practicing his speech all the while. Frequently, he would get captivated by the oddest things; the pattern of wood on a table, the shimmer of street lights through a stained glass window, the complexity of an Indian carpet. Each time he was convinced they were the most beautiful things he had ever seen, so full of depth and detail and subtle colors. It was very different from the heat-based vision of the Yautja. He liked this very much. Kemiri had also expected to be nearly blind in the dark, since oomans were, but after walking into a darkened room without switching on a light, he saw he was wrong. This Blood-drinker's body _could_ see in the dark. He felt rather better about that; he had never lacked sight, not even on the hottest days or the coldest nights. The thought of being blind was a frightening one. He spent most of the night wandering around the house, playing with all the different pieces of technology. Soon, he began to feel strange; uncomfortable and full of ch'htk-a, especially when he went in a room with windows. Kemiri shifted from foot to foot, rubbing his arms and glancing around cautiously, and then he turned back to the radio, twisting the knobs to search out the best stations. His exposed skin was starting to feel warm and itchy. Then, the hunter noticed that the dark room was beginning to grow lighter. He jerked up sharply. The sky outside the large windows was turning a pearly gray, the horizon hinting at a warm pink. A chord of dread struck in his stomach. It was nearly dawn. With a muttered curse, he turned and ran from the book-lined upstairs room, plunging down the stairs and into the basement just as his skin had started to feel hot. The darkness was cool and welcoming to the suddenly lethargic Kemiri. He made a bee-line for a large padded, lidded box. It wasn't what oomans normally slept in, but he guessed that was what it was for. Lying down and shutting the lid, he let sleep envelope him.

…..

Kemiri woke with a start, suddenly wide awake. It felt like he had just fallen asleep, though he still felt rested. He shoved open the top and got up. Maybe he would try walking amongst the oomans as Edan had suggested. He made a face. How could he have not thought about him all night? Even with his pre-occupation with pretty wooden antique furniture and neat technology. Striding up the creaky stairs, Kemiri wondered why he had been attacked. Surely Edan hadn't tried to kill him; he had said quite plainly that he wanted his body unharmed when he returned to it. Besides, Edan would have known any weaknesses his body had. Maybe the Yautja instincts had overcome him? It was not unusual for young warriors to do stupid things because of their naturally aggressive behavior, though Kemiri had been teased that he didn't have much of a killer instinct. Maybe he was afraid Kemiri would hurt him; after all, this body was much more resilient than a Yautja body, if only because of the healing. Shaking his head, the warrior flung open the doors of an armoire. There was a great deal of clothing in there, as well as in the equally large dresser. He pulled out a dark green shirt, rubbing the silky fabric between his fingers. Yes he would wear that. He liked the color and the feel. Then he took out a pair of black pants, since most of Edan's pants were black. In fact, his whole wardrobe tended towards dark colors. There were very few white shirts, like the shredded and bloodstained one he was wearing now. He took out a pair of socks and a belt, since he remembered that oomans usually wore those things. He managed to get the dirty stuff off fairly easily, crumpling them and throwing them in a corner. The pants were relatively easy, but the socks made him cranky. His toes kept getting stuck. And then, the shirt was another matter altogether. The buttons up the front were hard enough to do properly, but the ones on the sleeves… How the pauk did anyone fasten them one-handed? It was impossible! Eventually, with the aid of his teeth, he managed to get them done. The neighbors were sure to have heard his angrily spat curses. Tired of unnecessarily complicated ooman clothes, he chose the simplest looking pair of shoes; short leather boots that did not have buckles, zippers or laces. These just slipped on. Finally finished, he stepped out into the night.

In the oldest district, where he had enjoyed going as a Yautja, there was ample noise, people and entertainment. The entire area had been closed to cars for a few hours and now oomans swarmed the cobblestone streets. The crowds were especially thick around some building entrances and around performers. They played instruments, including one male who played three recorders; one with his mouth and two with his nose. Kemiri thought that no one should have a talent like that, though many oomans seemed to think he was hilarious. There were others that juggled and performed acrobatics and some that did both. He was especially pleased with the ones that lit things on fire. Fire was pretty. So many beautiful colors and shapes… Blinking, he pulled himself away, though he would have liked to watch longer. He had never really been in an ooman building, unless he could sit in the rafters, so Kemiri decided to wait in one of these line ups and go in. After all, if the oomans would line up for the chance to go in, then it must be good.

Standing surrounded by this many oomans, Kemiri was buffeted by scent. All of their perfumes and lotions, plus the odor that inevitably was generated after a long, hot day in the sun combined into a stench that made him want to pinch his nose. The warrior was saddened to notice that he could no longer instantly get a read out of the health, age, status and emotional state of everyone around him just by sniffing. He just smelled sweat and blood. Blood lurking just beneath their slick, golden skins, pulsing and beating, hot and bright…

"That will be twelve dollars, _monsieur_." said a burly ooman by the door, snapping him out of his dreaming. Wordlessly, he pulled out several bills he had been intelligent enough to grab, and handed then to the ooman. It must have been correct since he wasn't grabbed as he pushed past into the noisy building. In fact, the bouncer was trying to decide whether he should pocket the superfluous one hundred and thirty-eight dollars as a tip or pursue the generous young man to give him the change. Deciding that if he could give that much and not even notice, he must not need it, the bouncer pocketed the money. Clearing his throat loudly, he checked out the I.D. of the next person in line.

…..

Kemiri smiled happily to himself, thoroughly enjoying the music, though it was hot and smoky. Everyone seemed to be in a good mood, which made him feel better. Spying a recently vacated table, he dropped into a chair. He admired the lithe forms of the young oomans dancing. They were all rather exciting to look at, even the sitting ones who bobbed their heads with the beat. One group of females sitting at the bar continuously watched him, giggling and smiling. He smiled back, having decided that was the correct response. After what looked like a great deal of cajoling and laughing, one got up and walked over to him, putting a sway in her step.

She slid gracefully into the chair opposite him, saying, "Is this seat taken?" Kemiri blinked and shook his head. Why ask? They had been observing him for some time and they knew he was alone.

"So." she said. "My name is Deborah. What's yours?"

"Kemiri." "Oh, a foreign boy, eh? Neat accent. Where are you from?"

Kemiri didn't really know what to say, so he smiled again, which she seemed to like and said, "Far away."

"What are you doing in Quebec? I haven't seen you in here before."

"I resting, learning, exploring. You?" He decided to leave out the bit about hunting.

"Oh, I live here. I moved here about six years ago."

"Where live?"

"In Saskatchewan. Right in the middle of the flattest and most boring part. That's what it felt like. Nothing but flax and grain fields as far as the eyes could see. A lot of people think I'm crazy, but that's my opinion. I was glad to leave."

"Why?"

"We lived on a farm in a little dinky town. It was about four hours away from any larger city. I didn't like the constant wind and everything. Nothing exciting happened there. Hell, you could even see the storms coming a day or two before they hit…" she trailed off. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't be ranting at you like that. Geez, I just met you too. God, I've probably had too much to drink…"

"No no. Want to hear. Not mind."

"Oh, all right. It wasn't all bad though…"

…..

Deborah admired this quiet, attractive young man. He was strange. He hadn't tried any cheesy pick up lines or told any double entendres, which was very refreshing. She quite liked his accent; he had difficulties with some sounds and often put slight pauses in the middle of his words. He rolled his R's. She couldn't place it at all. He acted different too. His smiles were more like a baring of teeth, like he wasn't that comfortable with his mouth. He bobbed and tilted his head often, though it had nothing to do with the music. He was very different and she liked it.

"Now tell me about where you come from, cuz I know you aren't from around here."

"Where I from, all buildings are stone. Very big, grand, beautiful, like here. All live together in buildings, in smaller rooms. Eat, play, bathe together, sleep separate. We hunt or practice everyday. Older hunters teach younger. Land different. Great forests, swamps. Is very hot. Hot, wet. Is hard…"

"No, no… Don't be silly. You're doing very well!" Deborah said, smiling and putting her hand on his.

"You think?" Kemiri asked.

"Yep. You know what? I'll order us some drinks. What do you want?" He shrugged. Deborah got up and slunk over to the bar again, chattering with her friends while she waited for the drinks. Really, she wasn't that bad to look at, for an ooman. She had pale skin and long, dark brown hair. Her eyes were blue. He did think she was too skinny though. Her muscles were puny compared to a Yautja females. However, the way she moved showed that she was comfortable with herself, and fit. Soon, she returned, holding two short glasses filled a dark liquid and ice. "Two rum and cokes. If you don't like this stuff, you're crazy." She took a sip. "Yum." Kemiri bobbed his head in thanks and tasted some. It was rather nice. Fizzy and cold with a little warmth and spice from the alcohol. They chatted amiably for a while. He sighed, in a good mood, breathing in the smells of the bar, savouring Deborah's scent most of all. Her soft perfume mixed with her own natural smell and blood. He sniffed deep again, leaning forwards slightly. He wanted to rub himself with that scent, drink it in… He stared at her, seeing the faint blue tracery of her veins under her skin, hearing her heartbeat. He took a deep gulp of his drink, feeling very thirsty. It didn't help. "Hey, what are you doing, silly! We aren't doing shots. You're not supposed to suck it back like that!" the woman said with a grin. Something twisted in his belly, drawing a slight moan of pain from him. He drew back. He suddenly grew much thirstier. The ache grew as well. He moaned again, louder. What was wrong?

"Hey… Kemiri? What's wrong?" He looked up. The blood smell seemed to overwhelm everything else. He realized with horror what he wanted to do.

"I… I not feeling well. Should go…"

"Want me to call a cab? I don't mind."

"No… I, ugh, I just go."

"Well, here." She shoved something into his hand. He pocketed it as he stood up. Another pulse of pain. His mouth was so dry.

"Bye." he said, trying to keep from groaning again. He staggered out, hunched over, holding his stomach. The crowds outside had diminished somewhat and the air had cooled, carrying a pleasant breeze. The warrior lurched into an alley. His stomach rippled and he brought up the rum and cokes noisily, retching into a pile of garbage. Kemiri slumped against a wall, a cold sweat on his face. He rubbed his forehead, his hand coming away with blood. He stared in shock. He knew he didn't hurt himself… This body sweated blood? Blood, blood, blood… Everything about his body was blood! Oh, god, he wanted some… A growl tore out of his throat as he bared his teeth to the sky. His hands balled into fists, and then he buried his head in his arms, aching with need.

…..

Many minutes later, he was roused by young, high-pitched voices. A rush of sweet blood-scent was carried to him on the wind. Kemiri moaned audibly.

"What was that?" one girl asked shrilly.

"Ooh, maybe it's a bum." said a second.

"Maybe it's a rat!" shrieked the first.

"Don't be silly." scoffed a third. "Let's just get through here. It'll be easier than shoving through the crowds." They advanced. _No, no… Stay away…_ Kemiri pleaded silently, incapable of words at the moment. He stood, out of conscious control. Time seemed to slow down around him. He uttered a ragged snarl as he hurled himself at the first girl, burying his teeth in her neck. The warrior felt the ooman girl's arm bones shatter under his powerful grip. A crack sounded in her neck. Kemiri screamed again, denied sustenance after only a taste. He threw her body aside. He fell on the next, taking slightly more care with his grip, sucking in great gulps of delicious blood, whimpering with pleasure. But again, he tried too hard and her heart gave out from the strain he was putting on it. The last girl was easily ensnared too, her shrieks falling on deaf ears. She went silent as soon as he tore a wound in her throat, so different from the neat punctures Edan had made. It was more like an animal had mauled her. Blood poured down his throat and out the corners of his mouth. They sank down together as every drop of blood was drained out of her body.

He pulled away once she died, sated, licking the blood off his lips. Then he realized what he had done.

"Oh gods… Oh Cetanu, forgive me, have mercy on me…" the horrified warrior gasped. He backed up, eyes wide, then turned and fled, streaking past the crowds of oomans, through the great stone gates, down the steep hill to Edan's home. He threw open the door and ran into the kitchen, rummaging through a drawer, pulling out the longest, sharpest knife he could find. He walked out of the house and into the backyard, mouth set in a thin, hard line. Once in the centre of the lawn, Kemiri dropped to his knees. Turning his face to the sky, he clutched the knife with both hands, turning it to face him. He drew his hands up and out, pausing a moment and then he plunged the blade into his body, angling the blade up and into his ribcage, where it would do the most damage. It felt like fire going in, but he forced it deeper, crying and moaning. Hunching over it, he waited for welcome death. But it did not come.

"PAUK!" he screamed, yanking it out and stabbing himself again and again, ripping the blade across his abdomen. He slashed his wrists and cut his throat, but he still did not die. The knife dropped to the grass as he slumped over, twitching and shaking, drooling blood, wracked with pain from his dozens of self-inflicted wounds. "Edan." He hissed, as soon as he could speak. "You made me into a Badblood. I am trapped in this dishonorable body. For that, I will kill you. I will cause you as much pain as you have caused me. I will revenge myself." He swore firmly in Yautian. "C'jit! I killed them!" he wailed suddenly. "I killed innocent ooman females! I have no honor! I… I liked doing it. Pauk! I am a monster!" Then he crumpled into a ball.

So passed his first night and a half in his new body.


	7. Chapter 7

_I live! I've actually been writing like some sort of thing that writes a lot lately, so the rough of this is almost done. Hooray for motivation! Guess what? A sequel is in the making for AVP 2: Survival of the Fittest. It's supposed to come out in December next year. I'm ever so excited. I'm glad the bad reviews of AVP didn't kill the franchise. Ack, those movie critics are retarded. I had a rather eventful August. I discovered a dinosaur fossil in the Drumheller valley and now the museum wants to check it out! It might even be a theropod since I found a tooth at the bottom of the hill. I've never found one before, so I nearly peed myself with excitement. No, actually I lied, but I was in a park and couldn't take it and it wasn't as pretty as the one I found. I have a DevArt account up now and put a pic of X-13 and One up, so if you're interested, check it out and put in a comment. _

_http//raptor-chick. Deviantart .com/_

_Just take out the spaces._

_Oh, and Golden-Wind? Guess what? The Arrogant Worms are coming to Edmonton in February! Eek!_

_Anyways, remember the purple button and review!_

Chapter Seven

Edan struggled with all the internal organs, setting them to working again. It was especially difficult as they were so different. As he settled himself into the alien body, he noted that it contained numerous air sacks in the large bones and torso, connected to the lungs, just like a bird. They also served to lighten the heavy, dense bones. No wonder they had such stamina in such thin air like this. Funny it didn't fell any different than normal, but in this body, it felt wrong. He started breathing again, with a loud, harsh gasp. Slowly, the hyper-awareness faded. He hated that period; it was so very unsettling to be able to feel gravity pressing down on you, the motion of every cell in your body, virtually every air molecule brushing your skin. Edan sniffed the air. The sense of smell was, to put it simply, weird. The cellar smelled normal, but he could also smell the girl's blood. It was not just the delicious elixir he had lived on. Somehow, he could tell she was a few days from ovulating, wasn't eating properly and had sex recently. Cool, came an unbidden thought, instant evaluation. This body just did it, without him thinking consciously about it. His hearing was about the same, maybe a little bit less acute, but that was all. Edan opened his eyes and was greeted by a swimming myriad of colors. The ceiling was a haze of blues and purples. He lifted his heavy head and looked around, blinking slowly. There was his body, glowing in reds and oranges and yellows. He hummed in appreciation at the glowing halo around it, not noticing how still the body was. Edan tried moving the mandibles. They waved awkwardly. It was like having four clawed fingers sticking out of your face. Suddenly, Edan noticed movement in his body. Kemiri stared at him, his mouth open. Edan felt a sudden chill. He was mortal now. He had to get away from Kemiri. There was no way he would know his own strength and that could be deadly if he managed to grab him. He lumbered to his feet, swaying from a wave of dizziness that nearly overcame him, but after a few more noisy breaths, he felt better. The intensity of Kemiri's gaze unnerved him. Edan tried to tell him to stop, but it only came out as a horrible cacophony! He clenched his fists, jumping in surprise as twin blades shot out harshly. _Oh well, might as well use them…_ he thought, drawing back his right fist and slamming them into Kemiri's chest, wincing as the fine shirt was obliterated with a rip and a shower of blood. It cost quite a lot. Yanking the blades out, he relaxed his hand reaching for the gear heaped on the table. The blades retracted. Deciding to examine everything later, he scooped up the mask and weaponry and fled up the stairs and out of the house.

As Edan ran, he was surprised by the new body. As far as he could tell, it was weaker than his old body, but its sheer weight made him feel even stronger. Ascending a fire escape to the top of an apartment, he dropped the gear. Edan flexed the muscles in his arms, admiring them. In his old body, he didn't have even the slightest chance of getting this huge. Now he didn't even have to work at it! Then, he examined the large pieces of metal sheathing his forearms. The left one flipped open and there was some sort of keyboard in it. Since he could not read the spiky letters, he shut it again and turned to the other. Flexing his arm muscles did not work, though clenching his fist did. How ingenious. He pulled the mandibles into what seemed to be a smile and gave a little chuckle. It was surprisingly high-pitched and trilling and it degenerated into a fit of coughing. Edan grimaced; there was no way he was going to last long in this atmosphere. He lifted the mask, examining the different colors of its contours, created by different thicknesses in the metal. Edan pressed it to his face. It fit closely, but would not stay on its own. Fumbling for the hoses dangling down around his shoulders, plugged them into the sides. The first created a vacuum seal, holding the mask on tightly but comfortably. The second supplied air, precious air. It felt far better in his lungs than the thin stuff of Earth. How was this alien air supplied? There were no large air tanks, though the heavy armor on the back probably disguised some machinery of some sort, an atmospheric processor, something to concentrate the good and filter out the bad. He did not care all that much. As long as it worked, he was happy. Now that he could breathe, there was something he really wanted to do…

Edan smiled, slow and hungry. His eyes roamed over the richness before him, taking in everything. Food galore! He would finally get to sample the delicacies he had so envied the humans ability to consume. Nearly two hundred years had passed and there was so much change since then! He strode from the back entrance where he had forced his way in, over to the bakery. This body was really very powerful; so heavy and strong. He wanted to see what sort of damage it could inflict, but later. Eating was more important.

With his new claws, the body thief pried the plastic lid off a mousse cake, throwing it over his shoulder. Then he removed the mask, hanging it off his belt. Lacking any utensils, he sighed and dug two fingers into the dessert and scooped out a large mouthful. Holding the annoying mandibles out to the side, he began eating the cake, making happy little noises as the sweet confection flooded his mouth. He polished off the small cake and moved onto other desserts, mostly sampling them. He would only eat it all if they were very, very good. The cakes coated his mouth with damp crumbs, irritating him because he didn't have a mobile tongue to keep food from getting stuck around his teeth. All right, drink time. Edan popped open a can of pop, that ever popular drink and hesitated. How the hell was this going to work? Growling, he tried to sip and promptly dumped it all over himself. Edan tried to curse, though it just came out as a gurgle and threw the hissing, fizzing can away to spray its sticky contents all over the linoleum. He opened a new one and managed to get some into his mouth by tipping his head back and pouring it him. Wow. No wonder this is so popular! He smacked noisily and drank some more. As a vampire, Edan could drink substances other than blood, but only after he fed and then only in small amounts, lest he bring it all up. He chose to stick with water, juice and sometimes indulged in weak tea, though it was mostly to maintain appearances when he took his time seducing his food. Burping softly, Edan ambled slowly over to the junk food. There was so much choice! He could never eat it all! So Edan compromised, ripping open package after package and simply having one or two bites before discarding it and moving onto the next. The chocolate was almost too sweet and nuts were hard to chew with the small, pointed teeth, so he left those alone. What sort of cheeses had come out? As a mortal, he had been a great lover of cheese.

Soon, he was starting to feel full, but there was still so much to try! He hadn't even eaten any fruit! Ah well, this body was the body of a predator and he knew how much a lion or wolf could eat in one sitting, so this body was probably the same way. Okay, fruit. He really liked oranges, though in his vision they were blue and cool. The varieties of many types of fruit were sweeter and juicier than the ones he had when he was human. Especially the oranges. He left a trail of peels behind him on his way to the more exotic fruit. The funny little hairy fruits were good too, so he proceeded to eat half a dozen. Ick. His hands were so sticky now. _There has to be a sink around somewhere. Ah, there_. He spied one through an open doorway. As soon as he entered the room, his nostrils filled with a delicious scent. Though Edan was now very full, his stomach sending him warning signals, he ignored them and went to investigate. Through another set of stainless steel coated doors, he found great sides and haunches of beef, lamb, pork and more, waiting butchering in the morning. This was what he was craving after all his gorging? Raw meat? Blood was one thing, but ripping at uncooked meat seemed very barbaric. Edan had always tried to be very neat and tidy, leaving only the trademark pair of tiny punctures. The only times he had ever been slightly messy was when he was newly made and clumsy and after the crossing over to North America. In those days, you could only travel by ship and it took many weeks. He had fed off the ship's rats- disgusting- and then off some people, but he couldn't take his fill and so by the time they hit land, he was literally starving. The two perfect wounds he left had always been a source of pride, something that said, 'I'm a blood-thirsty monster, but at least I'm civilized.' Edan found himself walking over to an upright cooler filled with variety meats. Those appealed most of all. No! He would not eat something so disgusting! He was in this body, dammit, and it would do what he said! Drawing a knife, Edan turned from the viscera-filled refrigerator and carved a strip of flesh from a side of beef. He started chewing, slowly at first, horrified by how much he liked it.

Feeling very, very full and rather unwell, Edan fled the supermarket and the devastation he had left. Force of habit led to a search for a safe place to spend the day. The body thief slunk along dark alleyways, trying to suppress groans of pain from his bloated stomach. He decided the forest along the banks of the St. Lawrence were the safest place to sleep. Most humans weren't interested in a bunch of trees when they could look at huge grand buildings and monuments. Edan didn't mind sleeping outside; there were a few times as a vampire, mostly back home in England, when he had to burrow deep into the soil to rest because it wasn't safe in his home. Removing the most uncomfortable pieces of armor, the body thief curled up beneath the over-hanging branches of a large bush and promptly fell into a fitful sleep, plagued by pains from his belly.

He awoke well after nightfall, feeling much better, though still not hungry. Edan vowed never to eat that much again. Getting up and stretching, he realized with a jolt he had missed his first day he was capable of seeing in nearly two hundred years! He tried to spit an irritated curse, but found he could not. This alien body had no tongue, no lips. Remembering the way Kemiri spoke, he had noticed how much movement the Yautja had put into his jaws and throat and had kept his mandibles mostly pulled away except for the odd click. This new mouth did seem to have a great deal of mobility compared to a human mouth. Perhaps that was the alien's secret to speaking many languages? Well, if a bunch of sword-swinging barbarians could do it, than so could he!

There were many things he had to learn with this body, Edan had to learn what it was capable of, the limits he could push it to. He also had to learn how to use the foreign technology. The little red markings flickering by on the edges of his vision in the mask were giving him a headache. Besides, learning how to become invisible would be neat. Edan did not like having to duck into hiding every time a human on a late-night stroll went by. This new body wasn't very quiet. As a vampire, silence and stillness always came easily; in this alien body there was always an itch or he breathed too loudly, or he trod on something that snapped under his weight. Edan hooked his claws into a gap in the bricks of an old building, climbing carefully. A fall could be deadly. Soon, he reached the roof and sat down, feeling very pleased with himself. He started watching the crowds of clubbing mortals. They looked so small, so weak down there. Flexing his muscles, Edan knew he was still a threat to them and reveled in the knowledge. He may not be able to stand on his own against a vampire, but a mortal would be easy prey. Perhaps later, he would see how good this body was at killing. Suddenly, he noticed a figure shoving its way through the crowds, not so unusual except this one was much cooler than the rest. _Hello, Kemiri_, Edan thought. He followed, falling a short distance behind because he was not willing to fling himself blindly over sheer drops and wide gaps. He carefully chose the best place to jump. Once he got to the alley, he saw something that made him smile. Kemiri had his jaws locked around the throat of a girl. Two others lay beside him, very dead. At least he knew his body was being taken care of. _So much for his honor_, the body thief thought, as Kemiri suddenly threw the body down and crawled away. He fled the scene. Edan shook his head and climbed down the wall. The fool didn't have the slightest idea how to dispose of bodies, or even to disguise the marks. Edan sighed and made a face. Their throats looked like they had been worried by a dog. Dragging some trash over the corpses, he decided to return later once the crowds died to down and remove them. He liked where he was living and didn't want any pesky vampire rumors spoiling it.

Edan loitered around the alley where the bodies lay, waiting until the wee hours of the morning before lifting the bloody, mangled carcasses and hauling them to the river. By the time he finished, birds were already starting their dawn chorus. Normally, by this time, the body thief would be fleeing to his dark basement and soft coffin. It was a wonderful feeling to be liberated of that constraint. Climbing to the top of an old stone hotel, Edan faced east, eagerly waiting for the sun the breach the horizon. When the first sliver of white heat became visible, Edan almost cried out. It was so beautiful! So warm after the freezing night! So amazing! He raised his arms to the light like some pagan celebrating the dawn after the longest night of the year, basking in the heat and squinting from the brightness. Once the sun was totally up, Edan climbed back down, making rather daring leaps in his good humor. The beautiful sun seemed to chase away all the night chills and shadows from his body. He was no longer a creature of the night, but a creature of the day. The body thief felt good and trotted off to the nearest store for breakfast.

So passed his first night and a half in his new body.


	8. Chapter 8

_I'm almost finished writing the last chapter of this! Hooray! It's going to be even longer than Birth of a Hunter. But still, I wish I would get more reviews. Two is not enough (glares), but I still really appreciate those who took the time to review this, **Lord Azrael **and **StormRaven333**. "Uh, yes?" Best. Line. Ever. Lol, I love it. If the time period of this chapter confuses anyone, it occurs just after Kemiri's rather disasterous, Emo night. I'm writing each chapter in alternating points of view and some will overlap in the story line. Sorry if this confuses anyone. _

_Cetanu: God of death, the Black Warrior._

Chapter Eight

Kemiri woke, feeling dull and miserable. How could he feel otherwise when he was an honorless Badblood? He had no idea how to find Edan again so that he could rip revenge from his body. He had no idea how to even _die_ in this body! Was he doomed to an endless, purposeless life? Bringing only death and pain to others? A small, humorless smirk twitched the corners of his mouth. He was certainly going to live a long time and spend the rest of his life on Earth, but there was no way he would be able bring knowledge to new warriors now. Slouching upstairs, Kemiri yanked off the disgusting, blood-soaked clothes and threw them in the corner with the clothing of the previous night. He donned new things, picking out a pair of leather pants, a black tee and a pair of tall leather boots covered in jingling buckles and chains. He wanted to feel protected and dangerous; soft ooman clothes did not create that feeling of prickly-ness and invulnerability. Drawing on the trench coat, he shoved his hands into the pockets. They encountered a piece of paper. Unfolding it, he saw it had ooman writing and numbers on it, as well as the print of red lips. He blinked in surprise. Did Deborah do this? What did it mean? The warrior's eyes narrowed as he thought, searching his memory for everything he knew about ooman communication. Maybe she wanted to see him again. Yes, that was probably it, though he didn't know why anyone would want to be around someone honorless.

…..

Thankfully, Kemiri had figured out how to use the phone earlier. The person on the other end had gabbled in such a strange language! And they seemed so angry, though he couldn't figure out why. Carefully, he lifted the receiver and punched in the number he saw on the paper.

Deborah answered. "Hello?"

"Hello."

"Kemiri? Hi! How are you doing?"

"I am good, I guess. How you?"

"Oh, I'm fine. I wasn't sure if I was going to see you again. You tore out of there like a bat out of hell."

"I feel sick then. I sorry. Not mean to make worry."

"S'alright. What was it? Food poisoning?"

"Maybe."

"Hey, um, do you want to go out and get something to eat or something?"

"Uh, yes?"

"Cool. Where?"

"Umm…"

"Hey! I know this great little bistro down in the middle of Tourist Ville. It'll be open for a while yet. How does ten sound?"

"Uh, yes?"

"Great! See you then!"

"Wait! Where?"

"Whoops! Fuck, I'll forget my own head next… Okay, you know that big church at the end of the right-hand street in Upper Town? There are some stairs there that lead down into Lower Town…"

…..

Kemiri hurried out. If he was quick, there was enough time for him to feed, so that he would not be tempted by Deborah. A passing man was yanked into the space between two buildings, his mouth covered by a powerful hand. The man made a muffled scream, lashing out with the hand that was not in an iron grip. It swung out into empty air. The man stumbled and something slammed into his chest, propelling him up and into the wall. A hand gripped his throat and jaw, the other wrapped around his middle. A hard body pressed into his and someone breathed deeply near his ear. He didn't even have time to yell before a sharp pain erupted in his throat. Fuck! This maniac bit him! A low moan sounded and the grip around his body tightened. The man tried to struggle, but found that his muscles possessed as much strength as a wet noodle. Oh… Starting to feel funny now… Weak and tired. The hell was happening? Gonna… _faint_…

Kemiri dropped the man as soon as he died, feeling disgusted with himself, hating the fact it was so good. At least he could keep from slaying another female if he was careful and fed often. The warrior half-heartedly kicked some trash over the body and slipped out with a quick glance left and right. Like usual, the streets were packed with people, jostling and pushing, drenched with sweat and smelly perfumes and the ever present blood-smell. Kemiri was only too happy to reach his intended destination. A smiling Deborah was waiting outside, wearing a scarlet halter-top and a pair of black pants.

"Hey! What's up?" she said, giggling. "Nice pants." Kemiri looked down. They were just leather, which seemed like a good material for clothes. It was tough, flexible and comfortable.

"We go in?"

"Yep. I have a table already. Didn't have to wait because a friend manages this place." She was right. They walked right past the line of growling, glaring tourists sweating in the humidity and heat and went straight to a table in the air conditioned restaurant. Shrugging off the trench coat, Kemiri hung it on a peg behind his chair. "Don't you get hot in that get-up? I mean, leather _and_ a coat."

"No. Is much hotter back home. You cold?"

She laughed. "Are you kidding? It's like an oven out there tonight!" After a moment a waitress came by. Deborah ordered a coke, but Kemiri stuck with water. He didn't want a repeat of the night before. They made small talk for a while, until the waitress came back. Kemiri panicked, realizing the only thing he knew how to read on the menu were the prices. Glancing around, he spotted a man eating a large piece of meat.

"I have that." he said, pointing. "Not cooked much. Bloody."

"Rare?" the waitress supplied helpfully.

"Uh, yes?"

"I'll have the lobster ravioli. It's amazing here." Once the food came, the warrior managed to eat most of the steak before his stomach started to churn warningly. Nothing else came of it, so he shrugged it off.

…..

Kemiri paid for the meal, knowing that that was proper etiquette. He carefully pulled out the bills, adding up the amount. At least he wasn't totally illiterate when it came to ooman scratchings!

"Thanks for dinner." Deborah said, "But I'm taking care of the tip." She pulled out a ten and laid it on the table and then she looped an arm around his. He nodded in reply, feeling slightly better. They walked that way for a while, in happy silence, until it was broken by a yawn.

"You tired?"

"A little." she replied.

"Want to go home?"

Deborah punched him lightly in the arm. "Not on a first date! I do have some morals, you know!"

Kemiri looked hurt, then apologetic. "I sorry not mean that."

"I'm just kidding! Geez, I knew what you meant. Don't go all puppy-eyed on me; I can't resist a sad puppy. You look so upset!" She squeezed him around the waist. "Wanna walk me home, though?"

The warrior, feeling decidedly unsure of himself, hugged Deborah good night. Ooman courtship was so confusing! She smiled and waved, walking into her building. He hoped he was doing the right things. Oh, Cetanu take it! Why was he trying to be an ooman? All he was going to do was find Edan, kill him and then kill himself! Why did he want to impress Deborah? Kemiri realized he didn't really want to go hunt that miserable thief; he would rather spend his time with the ooman woman. She made him feel happy, feel good. She wasn't rough or judgmental or pushy; everything a Yautja female was. But what could he do? He lost his honor and knew what he had to do. He was Yautja and knew the rules.


	9. Chapter 9

_Ahahahaa… Edan is so stupid… Now we get to see the real him, not the charismatic, fearless self that resulted from being immortal. Fricken' coward. I went to Alexis on Fire the other night. Pretty good concert, except for the idiots that snuck weed in and smoked it near me. Yech. It smelled like burning hair. I never knew Edmonton had so many Emos. A sparrow flew into a window yesterday and I was terrified it was going to die, but it flew away after a few minutes. That's pretty much all that's happened in my boring life since I last updated. Thanks to **Bastet1023 **and** Lord Azrael** for being nice and giving me reviews. _

_Paya: Term of respect, conquering warrior._

_S'yuit-de: Shit, derogatory term._

_Pauk: Fuck._

Chapter Nine

Several days passed. Kemiri spent as much time with Deborah as possible, for her very presence lifted black mood. She introduced him to many aspects of ooman culture he had never even heard of. It was fun, his every waking moment spent in eager anticipation for the next time he would see the woman. He wished he could show her some of the things that he had seen, but knew it was impossible. Kemiri had a small, guilty, nagging thought at the back of his mind, demanding that he perform his duties as a Yautja warrior, but every time it surfaced he would shove it away. Couldn't he have a little fun before he died?

…..

However, Edan was not having such a good time in his new body. At first it had been wonderful; tasting all the new foods, watching the sun rise, basking in its heat… But as more time went by, he realized how very boring sitting about in the sun became, how the food produced a near constant ache in his belly, lethargy and other, less pleasant side-effects. The only good side was the sunrise. He never got tired of it. He hated Kemiri for the ease at which he took to being human, for all the fun he was having! The body thief often watched them. Them! How had he attracted such a beautiful woman? He didn't know anything about acting properly and still managed to snag a lovely woman while he, with all his charm, could not. They always instinctively knew something was wrong, that he was not all he seemed. He breathed out huffily, resting his chin on his hand, kicking his feet over the empty air under them, the wooden railing he sat on creaking warningly with every movement. Look at that! The silly clunch was as clumsy as a drunk! He almost fell over trying to avoid a bicycle! He can't even move with grace, yet she still likes him.

"Stupi' barshterd." He lisped, not having full use of that disgusting alien mouth. He sniffed, making a sneering face under the mask. Edan sniffed again. Funny. He could smell alien musk. Suddenly, a heavy hand thumped down on his shoulder. He jumped, yelping and started to plummet down into the crowd of people below him. A powerful hand gripped his forearm and pulled him back up. Once back on the solid floor, Edan saw the thing that had scared him. _Oh no… Oh no no…_ It was another Yautja.

It growled something in that harsh tongue, sounding angry. Then again, they always sounded angry. He stared, not knowing what to do. It said something else and he thought he caught Kemiri's name, though he couldn't be sure from the strange clicks that punctuated almost every word. It jumped onto the roof, gesturing to him. Edan followed meekly, hoping he was doing the right thing. He prayed he would get a chance to escape.

……

R'en-tok stopped yet again, turning and glaring back at Kemiri. What the pauk had gotten into him? He had ignored every single message they had sent for almost a double handful of days! Paya D'jin-ta had sent him to find the idiot and bring him back for a severe 'reprimanding', meaning Kemiri would get questioned and then slapped around. Why couldn't the Elder have gone instead? What was he, his mother? Kemiri wasn't even acting normally, if you could call his everyday behavior normal. He had been sitting in plain sight on that railing, his cloaking device switched off. Kemiri was a daydreamer and took unnecessary risks, but this was too much even for him! He hadn't said a word either… Strange, for he often would chatter on for hours about the stupid oomans. R'en-tok leaped up a wall nearly double his height with ease. Kemiri halted and began to climb cautiously. Why was he so slow and clumsy? He slacked off in training, but never enough so that he would not be able to keep up. At this rate, it would take hours to catch up with Paya D'jin-ta and the others.

……

Edan stumbled to a halt, quite some distance outside the city. That thing was nuts! Half the time he was terrified for his life! There was no way he would attempt those leaps in anything but an immortal body! What id he fell short on a leap or stumbled running along the peak of a roof? He could be seriously injured or even killed… _Oh shit_. That alien-thing had brought him to a gathering of a lot more psycho-daredevil alien beasties. The biggest, a huge, grizzled old male stepped forward, the cloak around its shoulders swaying. The rest scattered. It thumped the butt of the curved, glaive-like pole arm it carried on the ground and barked. The body thief cringed, eyeing the deadly weapon. The chief alien fell silent and padded a circle around Edan. It asked another question, in gentler tones. Edan nodded, hoping fervently he wasn't about to die.

…..

R'en-tok stifled hysterical laughter, hearing the four other warriors snort and wheeze. Paya D'jin-ta had just asked Kemiri if his sire was a spineless piece of s'yuit-de! He agreed! Oh, this was too good! The Elder asked another question, voice deadly quiet.

"Was your mother a toothless, one-armed Kainde Amedha with brain damage?" Nod nod. He trilled suddenly, but quickly swallowed it at a look from D'jin-ta.

"Do you even understand what I am saying?" A blank look.

Then Paya D'jin-ta sighed in ooman, "You are not really Kemiri, are you?"

…..

_Oh shit oh shit oh shit_! The ruse was up! _Best be meek and polite and maybe I'll get out of this alive_, he thought desperately.

"N-no. I am E'an. Ee-dan. I ushe to be humang."

"I am Paya D'jin-ta, Elder of the clan Thwei Ki'its-pa. What have you done with Kemiri?"

"I-I mae' a 'eal wif him."

"What sort of deal?" the Elder snapped, struggling to understand his awkward speech.

"Can't tell." Faster than Edan would have thought possible for a non-vampire, the alien swatted him down and stomped a clawed foot down on his chest. He levered the point of the glaive down to Edan's throat.

"You will tell me everything you know here and now or I will kill you."

"Kemiri's boh-ie." he wheezed.

"Do you think I care?"

Edan winced and faltered into speech. "We switch boh-ies. Mae' a 'eal. He's in my boh-ie."

"What are you?"

"A vampire. Bloo'rinker. I ushe to be humang. One hun're seventy-seveng years ol'. I know lots. I cang tell you anything you want."

The alien drew back with a slight hiss, but kept his foot on Edan and soon recovered. "Really. So you think you are all wise and powerful just because you are so old?"

Edan nodded. Maybe he could bargain for his freedom by offering knowledge. It had worked in the past.

"I am over four hundred. If you were hoping to appeal to my thirst for knowledge, you have failed. There is nothing I want to know about oomans that I already do not know. Besides, I am not interested in devious ooman-monsters." _Oh shit_.

The Elder clicked his mandibles thoughtfully. "I will kill you for daring to do this to a Yautja in my care. Then, I think I will kill Kemiri for being so stupid. Yes."

_NO_! Edan screamed silently, _I WILL NOT DIE_! The alien raised the wicked looking blade, preparing to drive it into his throat. Edan _leaped_ out of his body as quickly as he could and slammed the monster's soul out of his body. He dropped back into his borrowed body as the alien warrior tumbled over backwards, clutching at his chest and making choking, gasping sounds. Edan jumped to his feet while still settling and ran as fast as he could, dodging trees, trying to put as much distance between the pursuing monsters and himself as possible. At least some of them had stayed back with their leader as he recovered from the shock. He would live, unfortunately. Souls had a tendency to return to their bodies if the body was not dead. The heavy, crunching footsteps grew steadily louder. Edan panicked and screamed, sounding like a wounded vulture. Brave as he was in his own body, it was only because he was confidant that he would heal, more or less instantly from all but the most devastating wounds. In that body, all he had to fear was sunlight, fire and sharp, expertly handled blades. He veered towards the river, intent on swimming to freedom. Hopefully, they would shy away because much of their technology tended to short out in water. They bellowed angrily. Something cracked behind him. A wave of unbelievable heat roared over his head, scorching his head. It burned white-hot and seared through a tree, neatly cutting it in half. _FUCK_! He saw the water, cool and inviting despite its dirtiness. The body thief dove off the bank. The pursuing aliens screeched to a halt, not daring to enter because of their precious technology. Edan flipped over onto his back and sculled away, jeering and taunting. Then they began to strip themselves of armor. One by one, they waded in and began swimming _very_ strongly towards the terrified thief. They moved easily in the water, unencumbered by heavy, unstreamlined armor. _I've never done this before... I hope it works_... Edan thought to himself, inflating his lungs and spreading himself out as much as he could, floating. He left his body, immediately spinning himself as tight and small as he could. The three aliens were easy to find. He jolted the first out. Normally, he would return to his body after this sort of attack, but there was no time for this now. The two remaining warriors were nearly upon his slowly sinking body. Pulling his spreading soul into a tiny ball of… of Edan-ness, he bulleted towards the two monsters. The last one proved especially difficult to evict, requiring two blows and some mental wrestling. Then, feeling surprisingly tired, Edan slid back into his own borrowed body. It had sunk several feet below the surface and drifted downstream. He sucked in a breath greedily, his burning. Amazingly, the atmospheric processor or whatever, continued to work. He decided to remain submerged and struck out for the opposite shore, feeling slightly safer. Maybe those filthy barbarians had finally learned their lesson and would think twice before trying to get near him again. Edan decided he would find Kemiri as soon as possible, collect his body and move back to Europe, onto his family's old property for a few decades until things settled down in Quebec.


	10. Chapter 10

_Meh. Not too long a chapter or exciting a chapter, but better ones are coming up. This is almost done. Three or four more chapters? My job do be exhausting. Now that the weather is starting to suck, it can only get worse. It started snowing today, which means no nice warm Halloween. I'm pretty much obsessed with General Grievous right now. He ranks right up there with Darth Vader and Darth Maul as cool Star Wars villains. He can kill people with his feet. XD I wish I could kill people with my feet! DEATHBYFEET! Yeeesss… The Clone Wars cartoon isn't too bad, though I can't see all the episodes because I won't pay forty bucks online for that privilege. I posted a picture of M'yin-de up on DevArt, so check it out. The link is to my DevArt account is posted on some other chapter, but I'm too lazy to re-post it. I'll give five bucks and a human soul to whoever figures out the movie they watched. (promise will not be honored) Anyways, thank you to **Nez**, **Bastet1023**, **Lord Azrael** and **StormRaven333**._

_C'jit: Damn._

_Tarei'hasan: Unworthy opponent, small insect._

Chapter Ten

Kemiri sighed happily and scrunched himself down a bit further into Deborah's wonderfully squashy couch. He put his feet up onto a footstool, made of blue leather like the couch. He shifted his arm down from the couch back to around Deborah, who lay beside him, head resting on his chest, arm on his stomach. They were watching a bizarre movie. The plot was rather hard to follow for Kemiri, but there seemed to be a great deal of not unpleasant singing, dancing, men dressing up in traditionally in traditionally female clothing and sex. It wasn't too bad; though Kemiri was sure he would like it better if he was more fluent in English. Oh well, sitting here with Deborah was lovely too. The movie ended far too quickly. With a sigh and an arching stretch that reminded him of a Kainde Amedha, Deborah sat up. She smiled lazily at him, hair pleasantly messy.

"It good. I liked it. Why did they all dance in such strange clothing at the end?"

Deborah giggled, "I don't know. Maybe they were brainwashed into doing it? I don't know about you, but I think that Brad actually enjoyed that." Kemiri shrugged. Walking to the window, he peered out at the darkness, watching the cars driving by below. She had such a good view up here. This building was taller than most around it so he could even see the roofs of the surrounding buildings and beyond. The roofs… Kemiri narrowed his eyes, his powerful vision picking out a heat-blur on the one directly across from them. It moved, darting away. That was no heat wave. His heart froze. They were looking for him. That scum must have told and now he was the hunted. Luckily, they hadn't found him yet and probably didn't even know what his heat signature was. If they had, they would be on him already. What he had to do was keep well-fed and warm and act as much like an ooman as possible.

"Nice view, eh?"

"Yes…" he murmured distractedly. He glanced over at a digital clock, the red symbols reminding him of Yautja glyphs. "It late? You work. Must sleep."

"Yes, mother." Deborah replied sarcastically. "What about you?"

"Yes. Me too."

"I thought you were visiting?"

C'jit. She was clever, even when sleepy. "For long time. Need to work to live. Want address?" he asked, hoping to distract her from asking about his 'job'. He had studied the numbers on Edan's house and street, comparing them to other addresses to make sure he got the right one. He had to get away from the woman, to keep her safe.

"OK! I'm just going to go find a sticky note and a pen." She walked off into the kitchen, grinning broadly. He heard her rummaging around in a drawer, muttering to herself. Soon, she produced a post-it and a pencil. Kemiri took them and began writing his name. "What's that?" Deborah asked, leaning over his shoulder to get a better look.

"My name… Uh…" He hurriedly scribbled it out, feeling heat rise in his face. He was writing in Yautja. Carefully, he wrote in ooman in large block letters, forming each letter with the sort of care only children and those uncomfortable with the written word took. Finishing, he handed it to Deborah and squeezed her awkwardly in a hug, watching his preternatural strength so he didn't accidentally crush her. He started to pull away, when she turned to face him and put her arms around his neck.

"Don't be such a boy scout." she whispered and pressed her lips to his. A jolt ran down his spine and his eyes flew open. This was new. And interesting… He carefully leaned into it, pressing harder and wrapping his arms back around her. Deborah sighed and opened her mouth, probing his lips with her tongue. Her hands ran up and down his back, making thinking difficult. For a half second, he expected her to rake him with claws, like a Yautja female, but remembered she was much kinder and sweeter than them. He opened his mouth and accepted her in. Then they pulled apart.

"C'jit." he said. "I like."

"I'm glad, boy scout. I'll corrupt you yet." Deborah replied with a languorous smile, voice husky. "I'll drop in later."

…..

Kemiri walked out, quite incapable of thinking anything beyond, 'Wow.' That, that was amazing. The Yautja didn't have anything like that. His lips still tingled from the kiss. Until he was only a few blocks from his temporary home, he didn't even remember the hunting warrior. Obviously they had found him out because this was his territory and while hunting, other Yautja stayed away from each other to lessen the impact. How much they knew was a mystery. He had to find Edan and recover his body and take his revenge before he lost his chance.

…..

"So how's work?"

"Oh, same old, same old; busy, boring and full of brain-dead tourists. Got a raise though, which was nice." she replied, picking at her cuticles.

"Tell me about the guy you met in that bar."

"Which one?" At the woman's disapproving growl, Deborah quickly replied, "Just kidding, mum. Jeez, don't worry so much. I'll have you know Kemiri is a perfect gentleman. He's cute and has a penchant for leather, black and large boots. He's from out of town, Europe or South America or something. He told me they had some sort of communal dwelling. It sounded like maybe it was a religious thing. Kind of neat."

"Europe or South America? That's not very exact. Are you sure he is safe? I wouldn't want you drawn into some cult or something."

"He's not in a cult. I think I'd know if he was in a cult. And I just haven't asked where he is from. He can't speak English very well and no French at all. There's a bit of a language barrier, but we get on all right."

"You get on?"

"Mum! Quit it! He's fine! A real boy scout. Did you know that last night was the first time we even kissed? He's so cautious, like he's worried about scaring me away. It was so funny though. We saw an ex a few days ago, a nasty one and Kemiri got so protective. I swear, if that guy looked at me wrong, Kemiri would have gone and pummeled him until he apologized. I wonder what sort of upbringing he had?"

…..

Kemiri ran the kitchen knife the length of the whet stone, rinsed it and squinted critically at the edge. He scraped it along his thumbnail, nodding and grunting approvingly. These primitive steel blades were as sharp as they were going to get. Now that he had weapons, all he had to do was hunt down that tarei'hasan. All the knives had plastic sheaths, so he slid them in and began stashing them inside his clothes. One went in each boot, one under each arm and a shorter one in each sleeve, tied in place with string. The pockets of the trench coat were filled with half a dozen small knives that could be thrown in a pinch. He was as ready as he ever would be.

…..

Kemiri returned to his home at dawn after a fruitless night of searching. He had barely made it in before the sun crested the horizon. He had not seen Edan once. What he did see were two different Yautja who proved very difficult to lose without actually looking like he was fleeing them. He couldn't tell who they were because of the cloaking device and because he could no longer tell them apart by scent. The coward couldn't be too far away though.


	11. Chapter 11

_ACK! It's almost Christmas! So much to do… (shudders) I'm making Yautja themed Christmas cards this year. Nihkou'te is on them. I'll be posting them on DeviantArt when they're done. I really, really like fucked up Christmas cards and music. Thanks to **Iconofcoolness**, **StormRaven333**, **Bastet1023**, **Lord Azrael**, and** Artwzrd7** for reviewing. I don't really have much else to say, so I'll shut up now._

_Ki'cti-pa: Wrist blades._

_Ki'its-pa: Retractable spear._

Chapter Eleven

Edan ducked behind a dumpster, heart fluttering wildly. He had been so close! So close to being caught by one of those alien beasts again! They seemed to be everywhere, hanging about the rooftops and trees, scanning for him. They had nearly found him a dozen times, but as long as he kept moving, they seemed to find it difficult to find him. Perhaps whatever transmitter, if there was one, was not very accurate. He took insanely close chances with the humans, hoping to confuse his heat signature among theirs. Maybe the reason they hadn't caught him yet was that they were afraid of him. Having your soul shocked out was a terrifying experience. Edan sighed deeply and made a face at the aroma of refuse that had stewed for a day in largely direct sunlight. He had to find Kemiri fast, before they found him and killed him. Kemiri would, of course, be very glad to have his own mortal body back and then he could sort out all the problems while Edan hopped onto a night-traveling plane out of the country. Peeking out of the alley, Edan took a chance and scarpered across a currently empty sidewalk and road, not bothering to wait for the light. Not many people did here. Kemiri was not in the Old Town or on the Plains, so the next place to check tonight was his house. The night was still fairly young, so perhaps he would still be lingering around the building. At least, Edan hoped so. He could only keep running around like this for so long and he needed sleep.

…..

The gate at the rear of the backyard opened smoothly and silently under his touch. He stepped in softly, flinching as a car roared past noisily. The house was cool and dark in his vision, the picture of emptiness. No hint of heat showed in the light bulbs outside, no flashes of brightness from someone walking by a window. He did see a couple of mice poking around under the stairs. The body thief slumped and prepared to leave. He had been here too long anyways. No doubt the other monsters would be along soon. They were worse than terriers. A knife pricked the skin on his lower back. Edan froze, eyes bugging out, breath catching in his throat.

A voice whispered, "Careless, Edan. Very careless. Turn slow." A human voice!

"Kemiri? Thank go' you're here."

"Tired of deal so soon?"

"Yeah. There's some stuff I haf to 'o." He rotated slowly, claws scraping along the concrete. How had Kemiri managed to sneak up on him like that? He must have gotten the hang of the vampiric body faster than he thought. Edan was still having many problems with his own. Once he laid eyes on Kemiri, he knew something was wrong. The warrior's expression was tight and alert, menace hidden in every feature from his scowling brow to the slight snarl curling his lip. A single fang glinted.

"Kemiri?" he asked nervously. His gaze skittered down to the sharp boning knife in Kemiri's hand. It was one of the ones he had bought, made of fine German steel. He had bought the set to impress humans when the whim struck him to take a lengthy time stalking and befriending his prey. Nothing made 'friends' quicker than a well-cooked, artful meal with ample wine and laughter.

"You destroyed my honor. I worthless. You tricked me into this dirty body."

Edan frowned. "No. You mae' the 'ecision yourself. 'ake respongsibility for your actions."

"No!" Kemiri yelled. "I good hunter! This body is evil! Corrupting!" He brandished the slender knife wildly.

Edan jumped back. "Wha' are you going to 'o?"

Fangs flashed in the night. "Kill you."

…..

"You wan' to kill me? You figh' for ih'." growled Edan, shooting the twin blades on his right forearm. "I'm noh' going to go meekly." His words were strong, but his voice trembled. He was terribly, terribly disadvantaged. When he was human, the only thing he had learned to fight with was a fencing foil, totally useless against Kemiri, even if he had one. Oh yes, and he also had learned the 'noble' art of fisticuffs, which was completely useless in a fight with anyone but an idiot upperclassman who knew it as well. Everyone else who fought with their fists fought _dirty_ and generally wiped the floor with any noble who thought they could stand a chance against someone trained in the streets. Basically, it was a list of where you weren't allowed to hit someone. By the time Edan was born, nobles mostly stood around and looked pretty. Being strong fighters didn't matter anymore. In a flash, Kemiri struck, slashing with the boning knife and the chef's knife that had magically appeared in the other hand. He shrieked something in the alien language that sent shivers up Edan's neck. As he frantically backpedaled, bringing up the blades to protect his chest, the ever cool, composed and detached section of his mind began taking notes. Kemiri was fast, faster than a human, but was still not using his full turn of preternatural speed. He was a very efficient fighter nonetheless. He also did not try to catch Edan with his eyes, meaning he did not know about that. Of course, it might not work on aliens, and Edan's traditional vampire powers were not as well developed as blood drinkers of a similar age, a drawback to his possession of other powers. All he could do was retreat.

Waving the twin, jagged knives ineffectively, Edan charged the warrior, screaming like a banshee. A slightly amused expression passed over Kemiri's face as he leaned back and turned, the wrist blades whistling harmlessly past his nose. Screeching to a halt and whirling, Edan pelted towards Kemiri again, hoping pure dumb luck would let him land a blow. Kemiri stuck out his leg and tripped Edan, sending him flying. He landed in an undignified heap in the dirt.

Crouching by Edan's head, the warrior murmured, "How you live so long?" When Edan struggled, Kemiri grabbed his dreadlocks in one hand and slammed his forehead into the ground, hurting even through the mask. His other hand fumbled at the chunk of metal encircling his right forearm. Suddenly, Kemiri jumped back. Edan clambered to his feet and sucked in a deep breath. He slipped from his body like a snake sloughing its skin and spun himself into a bullet, speeding straight for Kemiri. He had no chance in a physical battle so a metaphysical battle would put him at an advantage. He would win this. But, when he should have hit Kemiri's soul, he instead passed straight through the body. The shock jolted him straight back into his borrowed body again.

Kemiri staggered, a wicked grin on his face. "I learn your tricks good?" Suddenly, a train slammed into Edan's chest! He flew out for the barest instant.

"BARSHTERD!" he roared and tackled Kemiri. They rolled over and over, spitting swears like truckers. Suddenly, they disengaged as one, the smaller figure sent flying. The larger figure stood, taking a few deep breaths.

"Feels good to be back." Kemiri rumbled, flexing his hands. "Edan. What you do to this body?" the Yautja warrior said, feeling the ache in his belly from food it was not meant to digest. He was cold, the air clammy on his skin. He felt a little sluggish from the poor care his body had received.

"Like wise." spat Edan. "You have no sense of fashion. I didn't even know I owned half this stuff!" Kemiri had clothed his body in leather pants, heavy buckled boots and a mesh shirt. A couple belts drooped on each hip and chains taken from necklaces looped his forearms. A pair of _really_ nice driving gloves had had the fingers hacked off and thumbtacks driven through the knuckles. Reaching into a pocket of the trench coat, he pulled out a metal and wire monstrosity. "Do you even have any idea how much these cost?!?" The idiot beast had taken two bamboo handled sushi knives, pulled the blade out of one and hammered it into the handle of the other. Sandwiched between the two knives was the blade from a bread knife, cutting edge facing out. The whole thing was held together by wires threaded through holes hammered in the blades. Edan growled with exasperation. Obviously, he would find some more unpleasant surprises in his home. Serves him right for letting an uncivilized beast in.

…..

Kemiri flicked on the thermal regulator, feeling the mesh heat up at once. The effect was like slipping into a hot bath. Then, on the other arm, he turned the ki'cti-pa back on. He had deactivated it while grappling with Edan. He had not wanted him to try slamming them into his chest again while he ran away. Pulling out the ki'its-pa, he extended it, holding it before himself.

"This ends, blood drinker." They came together in a clash of metal, growling ferally. They were much more closely matched now. Kemiri's sheer skill kept Edan from landing a deadly blow while the vampire's speed kept him from sustaining crippling damage that would leave him vulnerable. Small wounds opened wetly in their hides, leaking vital fluid in sticky rivulets. Swinging the spear like a bat, Kemiri cracked Edan's skull and sent him reeling back, eyes rolling madly in their sockets. The spear sparked and crackled, its electronics damaged. He threw it at Edan, conking him on the head again as he came blundering back, brandishing the makeshift weapon the Yautja had made and hissing like a serpent. The serrated edge chewed a deep gouge in Kemiri's arm. The warrior bellowed and clawed back, ripping out the vampire's throat with his talons. He picked him up and threw him through the fence, smashing it to pieces. Kemiri clutched the gushing wound. Edan staggered back, grinning horribly, his neck a bloody mess.

Once his throat grew back, he laughed wildly. "You can't win! I will just heal! You'll die an agonizing death as I tear you apart slowly!"

Kemiri replied, "I not feed tonight. Drink little yesterday. You weaken too. How long you able to heal? Not long, then I take your heart out and show it to you."

Edan retorted, "I still heal a lot faster than you." They circled, eyeing each other. "I'll kill you before I weaken. Maybe I'll taste that green blood of yours, see what it is like." The vampire grinned cruelly.

"You bad fighter. I better than you. Not heal fast, but I kill you anyways."

"If I am such a bad fighter, monster, than how come I can do _this_!" In a blur of speed, faster than Kemiri could track, the body thief darted forward and ripped off Kemiri's mask. Flinging it away and leaping to safety, Edan crowed, "That should even the odds somewhat!" Roaring in fury, the Yautja warrior charged, grabbing the gloating blood drinker and pounding him with all his strength. Edan screamed and slashed with the rough knife again. A huge hand wrapped around his and crushed his fingers against the handle. The blade was yanked away from the unresisting digits and tossed away into the dark. Edan clawed, his nails digging deep into the tough alien hide. Spotting as opening, the vampire's head darted like a cobra and sank his teeth into the space between shoulder guard and neck armor. Kemiri screamed in pain and ripped frantically at Edan, who did not let go. Pressing his right fist against Edan's chest, he shot the blades into the blood drinker. Edan stiffened and then went limp, dropping away like a burned tick. The Yautja retreated, his many wounds streaming. Edan pulled himself to his hands and knees, coughing and hacking, and then vomited up luminous blood. Kemiri looked worried; how much had Edan drank? His head spun for a moment, confirming his fears.

"What the hell is that made of?!?" He gagged again. "Aargh… My stomach… Hurts. It hurts."

Watching Edan retch and crawl around, the Yautja flipped open his wrist gauntlet and said, "Is time to end this." He activated his plasma caster, miraculously unharmed, rising from its folded position on his shoulder. Using a laser mounted on the weapon, he sighted the wounded vampire. His finger tensed on the trigger even as Edan staggered to his feet. Kemiri fired the weapon just as someone tall and dark haired and slender hurtled between them, shoving Edan out of the way and down.

"DEB'RAH!" Kemiri screamed as the white-hot bolt of plasma streaked for her. Time seemed to slow. All he could see was her terrified face; eyes wide, mouth a surprised 'O'. Edan stared at her in shock as they plummeted to the ground too slow to avoid the deadly energy ball.


	12. Chapter 12

_I update fast again, eh? One chapter left. ACK! Remember, Edan, hesitating and monologing is bad. That has been the end of many a villain. Jhonen is coming out with his new JTHM comic soon! Yay! One of my favorite books, Blood and Chocolate is being made into a movie. The bad news is that the story has been completely butchered, so I don't think I'll watch it. What made the book so special was that it was a completely different take on werewolves. Instead of being all powerful creatures running everything or solitary, traditional werewolves, Annette Curtis Claus's belonged to a small pack. They are decidedly not human and struggle to adapt to the modern world. They were different and even from looking at the trailer, you can tell they are just like the first type of werewolves seen in movies! Argh. Ooh, I found a place that sells Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans. The grass ones are really good! There is also soap, bacon, booger, vomit, earthworm, dirt, blueberry, cinnamon, sardine and a few others. I haven't eaten the nasty-ass ones yet, but I gave the earthworm one to someone I didn't like much and he nearly barfed. So funny. I'll shut up now. Oh yes, many thanks to **Lord Azrael**, **Maugen Ra**, **StormRaven333**, **Iconofcoolness** and **Bastet1023** for reviewing._

_Ki'cti-pa- Wrist blades._

_Ki'cte- Enough._

_Paya- Term of respect or a god._

_Tarei'hasan- Unworthy opponent, small insect._

Chapter Twelve

Edan hit the ground, grunting. Deborah screamed as the plasma seared across her shoulder and back, setting her shirt ablaze. A hair's breadth closer and it would have cut through her body, killing her instantly. The woman shrieked in pain, writhing on the ground in an effort to smother the flames.

Shuffling in front of Edan, face contorted in agony, she screamed, "GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM HIM, YOU MONSTER!"

"Deb'rah…" Kemiri said helplessly, holding a hand out to her and taking a few cautious steps closer.

"AWAY!" she screamed again.

"It's me, Deb'rah. Kemiri."

"H-how do you know my name?" Edan looked confused for a moment, but quickly pieced things together. An expression of false anguish and fear spread over his face.

"I Kemiri. You know me!"

"No! Don't listen to it!"

The woman whimpered. "Leave him alone." she whispered hoarsely.

"It's lying. That filthy beast is lying. It just wants to trick you, my love. Just wants to lull you into a false sense of security. Run, call the police."

Deborah looked at Edan in confusion through her tears. "Kemiri?" She looked into his handsome, almost beautiful face, looked into his black eyes. Something was in there, something hard and cold. She turned her gaze to the ugly monster, now kneeling and silent except for its wheezing breath. Its eyes were pale green, like new leaves, soft and gentle. She recognized that look. A snarl ripped through the silence. An arm smashed her aside as Edan leaped up, hands curled into claws. He collided with Kemiri, who yelped, going over backwards.

He tried to bring his ki'cti-pa up, but the angry vampire hissed, "Oh no you don't, you ugly bastard!" and pinned his right arm down with one hand. "Remember, I'm stronger than you!" Edan chortled happily. He ripped off Kemiri's chest plate and stiffened his hand into a blade, drawing his arm back. "Now _I'm_ going to yank your heart out and show it to you! I am older than you, smarter than you and I will win!" Suddenly, the body thief screamed in agony. Deborah was behind him, the handle of the knife in her hand. She growled and shoved it deeper into Edan's back. Freed from his grip, Kemiri kicked Edan off and shot his ki'cti-pa. He slashed the blood drinker's throat; nearly cutting his head clean off. He swiped at his chest too, ripping through the sternum and into the body cavity, laying his vital organs out for all to see. The vampire gaped his jaws silently, fangs straining for them. At last, he shuddered into stillness, resting in the growing pool of his own blood.

His legs feeling suddenly weak, the Yautja warrior dropped to the ground, panting harshly. He knew he was badly wounded. While no single wound was dangerous, the cumulative effect of the blood loss drained his strength. He was covered in cuts and gashes, not to mention bruises. The wound in the big muscle on his shoulder was especially worrisome. Edan had chewed it like a dog and when Kemiri had tried to pull him off, it had torn even more. It bled profusely. Kemiri winced, pressing on it with his hand. Deborah came closer, cautiously.

"Is that you Kemiri? Is it?" she whispered, eyes wide.

"Yes."

"Who was that?" She pointed to Edan's still form.

"Edan. He blood drinker. Honorless tarei'hasan."

"But… But he looks…"

"We switch. Trade bodies. Too long story." Looking at his face, the woman shuddered. He clicked his mandibles. "I know. Different."

"That wasn't quite what I was going to say." Hesitantly, she reached out to touch his dreadlocks, and then ran her fingers along his spiky brow. Kemiri stiffened. "What? I'm sorry!" Deborah yanked her hand back, stepping away.

"No." He stood up and sniffed. Turning around, he hunched his shoulders and lowered his head and gaze submissively. "Paya D'jin-ta." he said in greeting.

…..

"So you have returned to your own body?"

"Yes, Paya."

"The one who did this is dead?"

"Yes, Paya." He gestured behind him. "I killed him myself."

The Elder growled, "You are stupid. Look at what you did. You not only let yourself be captured by that despicable creature, you bowed to his wishes! You told him of us! That is one thing we must never do! Our prey can never learn of our existence! You did not stop at that, oh no! You told her as well!"

"Paya, I-"

"KI'CTE!" Kemiri bowed his head. "This is a terrible thing. Have you no respect? Speak."

"I did not tell the ooman female anything; I spent time with her to maintain the illusion that I was nothing but an ooman. She came here purely by accident. Do not punish her for this. It is true I told the blood drinker, but in exchange for information on his kind. I felt it was a worthwhile trade and would not be too dangerous as the others of his kind hide from oomans as well. They are new and challenging prey." Kemiri took a deep, nervous breath. "I… I did something terrible, Paya D'jin-ta." The Elder cocked his head to the side, the other hunters behind him shifting and exchanging glances. "I killed ooman females. Young ones. That body is evil and drove me to do dark things. I had no control, but I take full responsibility."

"Hmm…" D'jin-ta murmured. "You did this for knowledge, curiosity?"

He nodded. "I know what to do. I wish to do it back on the Homeworld though. Will my request be granted, Paya?"

"I must think on it." The grizzled old male walked a circle around them, eyeing Deborah. She cringed in a small, pained ball, wanting to hide by Kemiri but too afraid of his new body. The other five Yautja began prowling around the torn-up yard, restless. When they came too close to the hole in the fence, the old male barked a command and they fell back into line like chastised puppies. D'jin-ta turned away from Kemiri and Deborah, hands clasped behind his back over his scarlet cloak.

"KEMIRI! Look out!" the woman yelled. Searing hot agony lanced through his side. He whirled to see Edan, hissing angrily. His face looked pinched, the skin stretched far too tight over the bones. His fangs looked even longer as his jaw gaped impossibly wide, tongue lolling like a piece of red meat. The Yautja warrior staggered away, overcome by pain from the broken spear lodged in his body. The other hunters bellowed in surprise, drawing weapons. It was not everyday something dead came back to life. The starved vampire lunged for Deborah. Kemiri did not think, just reacted, leaping out of his body and jolting Edan out, wrestling with the creature's soul, forcing it up and away. Edan had more skill in such an area, but Kemiri was driven by desperation and fear for Deborah.

_"No!"_ he heard Edan scream/think. _"Too far!"_

_"Tough luck."_ Kemiri snarled.

_"We'll die!"_

_ "Do you think I care? I am going to die anyway. I would rather it be back on the Homeworld, but this is as good a place as any."_ Edan screamed again, his 'voice' tapering off thinly, until it vanished altogether.

_"So tired now…"_ the Yautja sighed. He released his tight hold on himself and let himself drift apart, spreading out thinner and thinner.

_Bwahahaha! One last chapter! How do they actually test those flavours? Do they give a bit of the real stuff to someone and then give them the jelly bean and ask if it is close yet?_


	13. Chapter 13

_Dear goddess, it's been far too long. Also, the explanation as to my absence would take far too long to tell. So, just enjoy this final chapter and tell me what you think in that most treasured of ways, a review. Pweese? sad puppy face Note my little Terry Pratchett homage here. I couldn't resist._

Chapter Thirteen

Kemiri found himself in a strange, dark world. It was cool and dry, the ground sandy. He sniffed the air, but found it scentless. It was completely silent too. Not knowing what to do, the Yautja warrior started walking.

**_STOP. _**said a voice. It was low and guttural, but seemed to contain a shriek within its depths. Strangely, it didn't seem to reach his brain via his ears. It arrived in his head, not bothering with the conventional method. Kemiri turned. There was the same dark, cloaked figure, eyes glowing a hot gold. He tilted his head to the side, observing him. **_YOU ARE NOT TO GO THAT WAY. IT IS NOT YOUR TIME._**

"Isn't it?" Kemiri asked. "I'm fairly sure this is it. I have met you once; that is more than most warriors ever do. Surely I cannot escape your clutches twice." The giant Yautja's eyes narrowed and he shifted his weight. The cloak rippled more violently, ragged edges curling and reaching for him. Kemiri didn't move. He felt no fear. Actually, he really didn't feel much in the way of strong emotions. Odd.

**_YOU ARE NOT MEANT TO PASS ON YET. I KNOW THIS. DO NOT ARGUE._**

"Well, then what do I do?"

**_YOU MUST WAIT._** Cetanu then added with a hint of amusement, **_I HAVE MET OTHER WARRIORS MORE THAN ONCE, BUT YOU ARE THE ONLY ONE WHO HAS ENTERED MY REALM TWICE IN SUCH A SHORT STRETCH OF TIME. YOU HAVE A DEATH WISH._**

Kemiri nodded. This was true. "Wait for what?"

**_YOU SHALL SOON SEE._**

Suddenly, he asked, "Why is it not my time? I did terrible things and by all rights you should be dragging me off to feast on my soul. That is what you do. I sacrificed myself because of my dishonor." Kemiri got the feeling Cetanu was smiling, though he could barely make out the details of his armor, let alone his expression.

**_YOU HAVE GREAT SKILLS. DO NOT LET THEM GO TO WASTE. I CAN SEE YOU SHALL DO MUCH IN YOUR FUTURE._**

"You didn't answer my question. Surely you know the answer. You are the greatest of the gods." the young warrior said bluntly, putting his hands on his hips. The Black Warrior's eyes suddenly flared, his cloak exploding away from him like dark wings. He seemed to grow, his black form spreading across the black sky, even darker than that.

**_DO NOT QUESTION THE GODS! DO NOT PRESUME YOU KNOW OUR WAYS! I COULD END YOU NOW, DESTROY YOUR SOUL AND MAKE IT SO YOU HAVE NEVER BEEN! IT WOULD BE ALL TOO EASY._** Cetanu roared. Kemiri shrank down, lowering himself in submission. The Black Warrior seemed to accept this, settling down and beginning to pace. His cloak still snapped and twisted, stretching for Kemiri whenever he drew close.**_ I HOPE NOT TO SEE YOU FOR MANY, MANY YEARS TO COME, BOLD ONE._**

"What?" the young warrior said. Cetanu drew his black and gold sword. Pain bloomed in Kemiri's chest. Pain was so alien in this empty, silent, stimuli barren world. He gasped and…

… Woke up. His chest felt like something had kicked it. Hard. And then decided to trample over it a few times. He scrambled to hold on to his… Dream? Was it a dream? The memory was fading as rapidly as one. He saw an ooman ceiling. Looking around, he realized he was lying on the couch in Edan's living room. Elder D'jin-ta's face came into view. It had many small piercings, the tusks carved. D'jin-ta was vain, opting for the heavy ornamentation that many Yautja avoided since piercings could be ripped out and carved tusks broke more easily. Only warriors with very high status decorated them selves in such a manner since they did not have to worry about many fights.

"Finally." the Elder grunted, expression giving no hint as to his mood.

"I'm alive? Why?"

The older male shrugged. "I have my reasons." Kemiri saw his wounds had been dressed. A needle was in his arm, dripping fluid into his veins. The spare air mask that was in every medikit was held in Paya D'jin-ta's hand. Deborah sat on a chair, looking anxious and frazzled. With a jerk of his head, the grizzled old male called her over. She obeyed as he got up and walked a short distance away, arms crossed.

"Why I alive?"

She rubbed her arms. "He was impressed with what you did. As soon as you collapsed and the, the vampire stopped moving, he took out a first aid kit and began fixing your wounds. He thumped on your chest a few times and then injected something into your chest. Once your heart started beating again and you started breathing again, he put on the air mask and they carried you in." Deborah's burn had also been treated.

"Where others?"

"Outside, watching. They scare me. They kept staring." Kemiri hoped they had not been examining her skull for its trophy value. She could fight and that worried him around the other Yautja. They were so uncivilized. Pushing aside the thought of Deborah's skull on a trophy rack, Kemiri levered himself up. The wound on his side burned like fire and his chest ached. His mandibles twitched as he struggled to keep from crying out. He knew it was a bad wound, but if he took it easy, he should be fine. It was a miracle the spear had missed his vital organs.

Looking past Deborah, Kemiri fixed his gaze on the Elder. "Why have you kept me alive? Are you saving me to die on the Homeworld? I want to know. No riddles or word games. I am tired of those. Paya." Kemiri added.

"Fine." rumbled the old Yautja. "I might as well tell you. You left your body, yes?" Without waiting for Kemiri to answer, D'jin-ta continued. "You killed that blood drinker with a power I have never seen before, risking your own life to destroy his and protect a female. You are a very clever warrior, however prone to un-Yautja-like behavior you are. Sometimes I get the feeling you care more for oomans than for your own kind."

Their eyes flicked to Deborah simultaneously. "Unlike other warriors your age, you are thoughtful and care deeply for knowledge just because it is knowledge. You're the youngest I know to treasure what you learn like that. There have been times when you absolutely enraged me with your daring around prey. I have wanted to beat you very hard when you got dreamy and careless."

"What is it, Elder? Enough with the speech; get to the point. Edan did the same thing and I had my fill. If this is your way of lessening your guilt before you kill me, I do not care for it." Kemiri knew he was being horribly rude, but was hurting and knew his life wasn't going to last much longer and didn't care.

Paya D'jin-ta raised a bristly, pierced brow and muttered, "Careless like now…" He looked at the young warrior through half-lidded eyes. "You may live." he said finally.

"WHAT?!?" Kemiri roared. Deborah gave a little yelp and jumped away. He paid no attention, dumbstruck. "I-I cannot live! I destroyed my honor! I killed three young females and enjoyed myself at the time! I am a Badblood!"

"Do you really want to die? Be honest." The young warrior looked at Deborah, his expression softening. He reached out a hand to her. She hesitated, then took it and came closer.

"No." he said gently. "But I know the Code. I will not live in shame."

"What you did is inexcusable, but I would hate for a skilled warrior like you to die with his skills wasted. I am proposing this to you: You may stay on Earth, as an exile. You may not step foot on the Yautja Homeworld or on a clanship again, at least until permission is given by the Council. While you are here, you will gather knowledge for us, as I can plainly see that oomans are not the only interesting creatures here. I will arrange for any supplies you need to be brought to you and perhaps a small ship later on as well, so you may travel. You may study oomans to your heart's content."

"But… but my honor…"

"Consider this your punishment and a way to earn it back." He smiled a little. "You do not have to comply, of course…" With that, the older male walked out.

…..

"What did he want?" asked Deborah. She was still unsure of this new Kemiri. He was just as kind as before… But his face… It was frightening… But still was not as frightening as this Edan's expression when he tried to leap at her.

"I forgiven, sort of. He want me to stay here, watch, learn. I never allowed home again. Is that, or die…"

"Well, then stay here then! Why on Earth would you ever want to die?"

"I never see Homeworld again. I lose honor. Maybe almost never see another Yautja again. I not want that. I rather die than go without. But… I love ooman world too. Want to learn. Want to stay with you."

"Maybe you can earn it back."

"Honor not like…" he trailed off. D'jin-ta had said earn! At the time, he had not paid too much attention. Could he really earn it back? Such a thing would be wondrous. "Maybe." he said finally. He looked at Deborah. "You stay with me?" Kemiri asked tentatively.

She sighed and twisted her hands. "I… I don't know. It's just… Your face is so different from the one before. It'll take a lot of getting used to. Plus all the vampire and alien business… It's so much… Maybe too much. Just everything… I don't know…"

"Can we try?"

_Muahahaha! Me and my little evil ending. What should Kemiri face up against next? Shapeshifters, zombies or some other mythological race?_


End file.
